Exposition of John 17

DOCTRINE That Christ's Disciples are in this respect like Christ himself, that they are of another world as he is.

There are two things in the point, which I shall clear distinctly and in order: First Christ himself is not of this world, but of another. Then Christ's Disciples are in this respect like him. They are like him many ways, in many things, and especially in this among the rest, That they are not of the world, as he is not of the world.

As for the first of these, That Christ himself is not of this world, [ 1] but of another, you see it is his own express assertion in my Text, I am not of this world: He doth not say, I am not in this world; for that indeed he could not say when he made this prayer; Nay, he saith the contrary but a verse or two before, These things speak I in the world. But I am not of this world, this he affirmeth here, and in divers others places: Though he were really a man, yet he was not like other men, at least not like worldly men in this regard, as he told the Pharisees, Joh. 8.23. Ye are of this world, I am not of this world.

Now to open this a little, I shall show you particularly and distinctly that Jesus Christ when he was here in this world, yet he was not of this world, but of another, especially in these respects. As first because he came from another world. And secondly, because he lived in another world. And thirdly, because he went to another world; I shall follow these in order.

1. Jesus Christ when he was here in this world, yet he was not of this world, but of another, because he came from another world: And he was more properly of the world he came from, then of the world he sojourned in for a little space only. And thus he argues with the Jews, in the fore-alleged Scripture, Joh. 8.23. Ye are from beneath, I am from above, saith he. And what doth he infer upon it? Ye are of this world, I am not of this world. You see both the clauses answer one another; Ye are from beneath, and therefore ye are of this world. I am from above, and therefore I am not of this world; In this respect he is called the Lord from heaven, 1 Cor. 15.47. Observe it, not the Lord in heaven, but the Lord from heaven: and that not only with relation to his second, but also to his first coming; No man hath ascended up to heaven, saith our Savior Christ himself, Joh. 3.13. but he that came down from heaven. So that when he was incarnate, he came down from heaven in a sense; for of this our Savior speaks in that place: And to this speech of Christ it is that the Apostle Paul alludeth, when speaking of our Savior Christ's ascension, Ephes. 4.8. he addeth presently by way of Explication, Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? So then, descend he did at first from heaven, as after he ascended up again to heaven. And because he came from heaven, he is more properly of heaven, then of earth; as the Apostle Paul insinuates very clearly, when he calls him the Lord from heaven, heavenly, 1 Cor. 15.47, 48. Because from heaven, therefore heavenly, not of this world, but of another.

2. Jesus Christ when he was here in this world, yet he was not of this world, but of another, because he lived in another; Here he breathed, but there he lived; he did not live the life of this world, but the life of heaven; and that not in expectation, as we do, but in fruition; He lived the life of perfect righteousness and perfect holiness, the life of Angels; yea, a life above Angels while he was here in this world: That life which is to be attained by us, nowhere but in heaven only, Christ lived here in this world; and this perhaps was partly aimed at by our Savior in that speech of his, Joh. 3.13. No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven: He was then come down from heaven, he was then upon the earth when he spake these words. And yet he addeth, he was then in heaven too, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And he was then in heaven, not only as the Son of God, but as the Son of man too. Virtually he was there, though he were not locally: His life did relish infinitely more of heaven then of earth.

And therefore it is very notable that he disclaimed all meddling with these earthly things; he would not once so much as touch with them, neither as a Judge or a divider, as himself professeth, Luk. 12.14. nor as possessor neither. It's true, he was a King, as he implicitly acknowledges to Pilate; and he had a kind of Kingdom while he was here in this world, but it was not of this world; My Kingdom is not of this world, saith Christ himself, Joh. 18.36. And therefore he did nor erect it outwardly, with any outward policy and splendor among men, but he did only set it up in the hearts of a few despised people, to whom he said, My Kingdom is within you; Luk. 17.21. And so in everything, my Brethren, he avoided such a conversation as might intimate him to be one of this world.

3. Jesus Christ when he was here in this world, yet he was not of this world, but of another, because indeed he was but going to another world; From another world he came, as you have heard before, and to another world he was about to go. Only he tarried here a little, about some weighty and important business which his Father sent him down into this lower world to do, and as soon as that was ended, he returned to heaven again. So that you see, brethren, he conversed here but as a Messenger from God the Father, whose errand he came down upon, and to whom he was to go, as soon as he had finished what he came for. And therefore he avoided any kind of settlement in this world, any way of making this his fixed habitation, as he told the Scribe that was about to follow him, Mat. 8.20. The Foxes have holes, and the Birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Yea, he professed that he was not in the world, while he was here, because indeed he was not to continue here; he was shortly to depart, he was as good as gone already, as in this Chapter I am handling, ver. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but I come to th • e. And this for clearing of the former member of the point, that Christ himself is not of this world, but of another.

Now for the second branch, that Christ's Disciples are in this respect [ 2] like Christ himself, this lies before you in the letter of the text, They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. And this our Savior often minds them of, as you may see that place for instance, to name no more at this time, John 15.19. Ye are not of the world, saith he, but I have chosen you out of the world. Indeed, as Christ is, so they are in this world, as the Apostle speaks, 1 John 4.7. So in this world, that they are not of the world. And that in all the three respects wherein we have clearly shown you that Christ is not of this world, but of another.

1. Christ's Disciples came from another world, and so in that respect they are not of the world, as Christ is not of the world. I say they came originally from another world, although not as they are men, yet as they are Saints and Christians: So they are from above of God, they are his offspring, as Paul said to the Athenians, God is their Father, for they are begotten of him, 1 John 5.18. And God is their Mother too, for they are born of him, 1 John 3.9. So that you see, they are no less then a divine and heavenly generation. And they are members of the New Jerusalem, which John saw coming down from heaven, Apoc. 21.2. They are only for a while let down from heaven in a sheet, as the creatures were to Peter in a vision, and so taken up again.

2. As Christ's Disciples came from another world, so they live in another world, and so in that respect they are not of the world, as Christ is not of the world; Their Conversation is in heaven, as the Apostle speaks, Phil. 3.20. With the woman, Apoc. 12. they tread the Moon, this variable and inconstant world under their feet. Trample with a disdainful and a holy scorn upon earth and earthly things. Honors are too ignoble to command them, riches too poor to buy them, pleasures too fleeting to allure them. Sometimes they are transported (as it were) wrapped and taken up into heaven in sweet Soliloquies, and in holy contemplations, ravished beyond themselves with clear and comfortable apprehensions of their Fathers love. Indeed they get above the world, they soar higher then the earth, their treasure is in heaven, and there are their hearts also: Their life is Angel-like: they live with men indeed, but walk with God, as Moses speaks of Enoch. They have their eyes on him (as Moses) they see him who is invisible, and they are taken up with him in all their ways and actions. They are acquainted very well with the Almighty, (to use the phrase of holy Job ) they converse with God here, come very often to his house, now and then sup with him, speak with him twice a day at least, and that in a familiar way, until at length they be admitted to a more near and intimate enjoyment of the Lord forever, 1 Thes. 4.17. till they be caught up (as they were first let down,) to meet him, and so to be forever with the Lord.

3. Christ's Disciples are going to another world, and so in that respect they are not of the world, as Christ is not of the world, because the world is not their fixed habitation; It is the character of wicked wretches, that they are men of this world, and that they have their portion here, Psal. 17.14. In which respect the Prophet sets them in opposition to the Saints. And so ungodly men are styled the inhabitants and the indwellers of the earth, very often in the Book of Revelation. But now the Christian on the other side, is not a dweller but a stranger on the earth. And this the Saints of God have frequently professed in the Scriptures. The Fathers, they acknowledged (as the Apostle Paul observeth, Heb. 11.13.) that they were foreigners and pilgrims here. And Abraham, as the same Apostle notes, sojourned in the Land of promise. Observe it well, he did not dwell there, but sojourned as in a strange Country, Heb. 11.9. And why? because he looked for a City where he meant to dwell: he had it not, but he expected it and looked for it. And this is that which the Apostle Paul professeth in the name of all the faithful, that they had no continuing City here (no City that they meant to settle in) but they sought for one to come. This was the City that the Fathers saw a great way of, and made towards. And so despising all the happiness and glory of the present world, where they were strangers, and in which they were tarrying only for a little space, they set their eyes and hearts on this which was their own Country, Heb. 11.19. They desired a better Country which was an heavenly, where God had prepared for them a City. And the same disposition you may note in others of the faithful mentioned there in that Chapter.

[Use 1] Is it so that Christ's Disciples are in this respect like Christ himself, that they are of another world as he is? Then let us prove ourselves by this my brethren, whither we be Christ's Disciples, yea or no. If we be the indwellers of the earth, if we be at home here, if we have our portion here, no portion in the other world, we are none of Christ's Disciples. No, no; if we belong to him we are strangers in the earth, we are absent from our home while we are here; we are not of the world as Christ is not of the world; and whether we be so or no, we may discover by these evidences following.

[ 1] They that are not of this world, are not in all respects conformed to it; they fashion not themselves according to the world, Rom. 12.2. they walk not according to the course of this world, Ephes. 2.2. As Turks and Spaniards are not like to Englishmen, they have another kind of visage, another garb and habit, and the like: So they that are not of this world differ manifestly from it. There is a clear distinction to be made between them and worldly men, by any man that marks them well, and hath his Judgment exercised to discern. There are none like them in the earth; their ways are of another fashion then the ways of other men. Now I beseech you, my beloved, think upon it; If you be fashioned to this world, if you be carried with a swinge of the profane and vicious times and places where you live, if you run down the stream with others, if you sleep as others do, 1 Thes. 5.6. if you swear as others do, if you run out with others to the same excess of riot, you are surely of this world, and not the other.

They that are not of this world, but of the other, have a very dear [ 2] affection to those of the other world. If travellers and strangers meet with any of their Countrymen in a remote and foreign Land; how lovingly do they embrace them? What kindness do they show them? how are they knit together in a bond of love? Just so it is with Christ's Disciples; if at any time they light on those who are not of this world, but of the other as themselves are, they are taken up with joy, and presently their hearts and their affections, by a kind of sympathy do wonderfully close together. And therefore those dissemblers deal too grossly to deceive ( si tamen Hypocrisis dici debeat, quae jam latere prae abundantia non potest, prae impudentia non quaerit, as Bernard speaks) who would be taken to be Christ's Disciples, while their companions and their bosom friends are the men of this world; yea Traitors to the place to which they would be thought to appertain. And others hate the very men whom Christ hath called out of the world: holiness where ever they find it being the object of their fury. Suppose thou wert in Italy, or in another foreign land, and there shouldst meet an Englishman, wouldst thou mock and scoff at him? wouldst thou deride and jear the fashion of his Hat, and Cloak, and Sute, the manner of his Complement, his Gate, and Carriage, &c.? wouldst thou procure him to be taken up, imprisoned, put to death? Thy earthly Country would not own thee, if thou shouldst be so unworthy: and truly Heaven will not own the men who deal thus basely and injuriously with the inhabitants of that Country.

They that are not of this world, their language is not of this world but [ 3] of the other: they speak the tongue of the heavenly Canaan, their speech is gracious, and usually to glorify their God, or to edify their brethren; But they that are of this world, they speak of this world, 1 John 4.5. Shibboleth never discried so many Ephraimites as this doth worldly men. Of what place are they inhabitants whose language is so harsh and tart, whose mouths are full of cursings and bitterness, the poison of Asps being under their lips? Where dwell they (Alas too near us) who cannot speak almost without an oath, whose tongues are always dipping in that blood which was shed for man's salvation? Are they inhabitants of the Celestial Canaan, whose tongues are keen as swords, and sharp as Arrows, to hew and wound their brethren's names? Shall I say that man or woman is of heaven, whose tongue is set on fire of hell? To what place do they appertain, whose speech is stuffed with filthiness and ribauldry, whose words are rotten? as the Apostles speaks. Brethren, do not deceive yourselves; if you cannot speak the language, you belong not to the Country.

[Use 2] Is it so that Christ's Disciples are in this respect like Christ himself that they are of another world as he is? No marvel then though they be made a gazing stock and a wonder in the world. If Turks or Indians walk along the streets, the common people use to gaze upon them, and so wonder at their habit and deportment, &c. And are not Christ's Disciples of another Country, yea of another world? Are they not men of singularity? Are not their ways and fashions divers from the fashions of this world? No marvel then though they be men of wonder as the Prophet speaks, Zac. 3.8. though they be hooted at, and though they be made as spectacles and gazing stocks to worldly men.

[Use 3] Is it so that Christ's Disciples, &c. Then let them live like men of another world, shining as lights amidst a perverse and crooked generation that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Let Heaven appear in their discourses, and their Conversation. Here we may remain, and must, till God be pleased to call us hence; but our continuance here must be accompanied with a reserved exemption of ourselves from the Contagion of the times, and with an earnest and unwearied striving against the stream of the corruptions of the places where we live; not following a multitude to do evil. We must be separated from the world (my brethren) not in place but in affection and in Conversation. I pray not, saith our Savior, ver. 15. of this Chapter, that thou wouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil. We must not on consideration of the notorious lewdness and profaneness of the inhabitants of this world, who vex our souls with their ungodly deeds, desire the Lord to carry us to Heaven in a fiery Chariot, as he did Elijah, to take us presently out of this world: but rather to preserve us in it, that we may keep our robes pure and undefiled among so many garments spotted with the flesh; That against the violent and restless oppositions and temptations of the world and worldly men, we may stand impregnable, showing ourselves the sons of God, by overcoming it and them. The veriest wretch may keep himself from grosser acts when he hath no occasions nor allurements to them. But in the midst of millions of enticements and commanding provocations, and in a world that lies in wickedness, to be singular in goodness, this is indeed like Christ's Disciple, who himself was holy, harmless, separate from sinners. It was Tullius commendation of Muraena, Non tam lauda • d • s Muraena quod in Asia vixerit, quam quod in Asia continenter vixerit. Muraena deserved not so much commendations that he lived in Asia, as that he lived continently there, amongst such a loose and effaeminate people, where his Chastity must of necessity suffer many encounters; And God's, of Job, that there was none like him in the earth. Such must we strive to be, and come as near the pattern as we may.

[Use 4] Is it so that Christ's Disciples, &c. Then let them not regard this world nor the vanities thereof. We see that Travelers and Strangers do not set their hearts on anything they meet with in the way: If they see stately Houses, Orchards, Gardens, if they hear curious music, &c. they are not taken up with these things. No, they keep on their way, and are not hindered nor withdrawn by the most pleasing Avocations. Doth any Traveler fall a building at his Inn? a planting or a sowing by the way? And therefore seeing we are of another world, and consequently strangers here, let us not set our hearts and our affections on the things that are beneath, but on the things that are above; let us use this world as though we used it not, for necessity alone, and not so much for profit or delight; to further us in holy duties, not to stop; us to help heavenward, not to hinder. O let us not by scraping up the dung of this world, disgrace our Country, and bring it to a low esteem with worldly men. Let it not be said to us, as Anacharsis said to Atticus, opbraiding him because he was a Scythian; Mihi inquit dedecori est patria, at patriae tu. My Country is a shame to me, but thou art dishonor to thy Country. No, let us honor it: let carnal wretches know that it is a wealthy place, that there we have a rich inheritance, and large possessions, and that our Father (who is king thereof) is well able to provide for all his children.

Is it so that Christ's Disciples, &c. Then let us not desire nor fancy [Use 5] to ourselves (my brethren) any long continuance here, but let us be preparing for our journey home. A stranger makes no long abode or residence in any place; he tarries for a night or so, and passeth onward to the Country where he dwelleth. And therefore seeing we are of another world, let us always be thinking of our journey home, and making preparation for it every day. I say as Moses, Deut. 32.29. O that men were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

Is it so that Christ's Disciples, &c. Why are they so unwilling then [Use 6] to leave this world? Why are they so averse from death and dissolution, and departure hence? Indeed for wicked and ungodly wretches who are the men of this world (as the Psalmist calls them) who have their portion in this present world, no portion in the other, it is no wonder that they should be loath die. O death, how bitter needs must thy remembrance be to him that lives at ease and rest in his possessions! But unto you who are of another world, I say as Christ to his Disciples, Arise let us go hence. Why (my beloved) what is the matter with you? What, are you loath to go home? Methinks you should consider with yourselves that when you die, you go to your own world, your own Father, your own friends, where you shall be as welcome as your hearts can wish: God your Father will receive you, Christ your brother will embrace you, Triumphant Saints and Angels will rejoice in you: And after all the troubles of a tedious journey, you shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven, feasting it in companies, feeding on the hidden Manna, and drinking deeply of the pure and Crystal River of Water of Life, proceeding from the Throne of God and of the Lamb. And who would willingly remain abroad in an unpleasing Pilgrimage, and not choose rather to come home to such sweet Company, and to such blessed Entertainment as this is!

And thus we have at length dispatched the first part of our Savior's prayer, in behalf of his Apostles and Disciples who were then about him, and in it the first main thing which he desireth for them, preservation.

The second follows now in order to be entered on, and here the main thing, that he seeks in their behalf, is Sanctification. Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.

And here we have two things to be considered. A Supplication, and an Explication. First, We have here our Savior's Supplication to his Father, in behalf of his Apostles and Disciples, Sanctify them through thy truth. And then we have this Explication, in which he shows what he intends by truth, viz. the word of God. Sanctify them with thy truth, thy word is truth.

Begin we with the Supplication, in which you may take notice with me, of these two particulars. First, the thing desired, Sanctification: Sanctify them, saith our Savior; And then the outward instrumental means, by which he prays they may be sanctified, the truth of God, that is the word, as he explains it afterwards, Sanctify them through thy truth.

Both yield us our this Observation.

DOCTRINE. The word of God is the ordinary Means by which he Sanctifies his people.

It is the instrument in God's hands, by which he doth this great work. He sanctifies them, he is the God of all grace, he calleth and he makes perfect, stablisheth, strengtheneth, settleth them. But he doth it by this means, according to our Savior's prayer here, Sanctify them through thy truth.

And here I shall distinctly clear these two things.

[ 1] First, that the word of God is the ordinary Means by which he sanctifies his people in a way of inchoation, by which he begins that work in them, by which he converteth them, regenerates them and makes them to become new creatures. And this we find abundantly exemplified in the times of the Apostle, how mightily the word of God prevailed to the Conversion of their hearers, and to the working of unfeigned faith, and grace in them. You may behold three thousand sinners wrought upon by one Sermon, Acts 2.41. And yet again, as if these had been a few, five thousand by another Sermon, Acts 4.4. And hence it is my brethren, that the word is called the word of grace, because it works grace in God's people. But whether this be the work of the Law, or of the Gospel, whether one or both of them be the ordinary means by which God sanctifies his people, will need to be a little further opened and resolved. And I shall show you from the Scripture, that both of them are instruments in God's hand, by which he sanctifies his people.

1. God sanctifies his people preparatively by the Law. The Law converts, and worketh grace by way of preparation. It shows a man his sin and his transgression, it emptieth him of all opinion of himself, it humbles him, and lays him low in apprehension of his own unworthiness: And so indeed, it makes him fit to entertain the grace of God; for he will give his grace unto the humble. John Baptists rough and rigid preaching of the Law you know, my brethren, must prepare the way for Christ. He must be like a Pioner to go before him, to bring down every high exalted thought, to make the Mountains level with the Valleyes; He must be like a Harbinger to ride before, and take up room for Jesus Christ, to write his name upon the heart, This heart is taken up for Christ; To cause these everlasting doors to be set open to him when he comes. And when the heart is thus prepared, thus emptied, and thus opened once, then it is fit for Jesus Christ with all the graces of his spirit to enter in and dwell there. And this is all that God doth by the Law, he sanctifieth men by way of preparation and predisposition only; But

2. The means by which he sanctifieth them indeed, and works the truth and the reality of saving grace in them, is the preaching of the Gospel; and therefore the Apostle puts the question to the renewed Galatians, Gal. 3.2. This only would I learn of you, saith he; received ye the spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith? q. d. for this I appeal to you, I put the matter to your consciences, whether the saving graces of the spirit, were not first wrote in you by the hearing of faith: that is, by hearing the doctrine of faith, which is the Gospel. And hence the Gospel is sometimes called the grace of God, as you may see that place for instance, Titus 2.11. and that not formaliter, for so the Gospel is not, neither can it be the grace of God (neither that grace which is in God; I mean his free and undeserved favor; nor yet that grace which is communicated and dispensed from him to us; I mean the gifts of his spirit, whether they be such as appertain to edification, or sanctification,) but effective, as the School-men speak, the Gospel is the grace of God, because the grace of God is the effect and issue of the Gospel. The Gospel is the instrumental means of grace and holiness which it effecteth under God, and worketh in the hearts of his people. And under this expression it is set in opposition to the Law. For as the Law doth not reveal the grace of God in Jesus Christ the Mediator and Redeemer as the Gospel doth: so neither doth it work the grace of God, I mean the saving gifts of his spirit: and therefore it is called the Ministration of the Letter, and not the Ministration of the Spirit, because there goes no spirit with it. Or if it carry any of the spirit with it, it is the spirit of fear and bondage, and legal humiliation, and not the spirit of adoption and sanctification. But on the other side, the Gospel carries spirit in the ministration of it, which it conveys into the heart of those that hear it and embrace it, as they ought to do. It operateth and begetteth the endowments of the spirit, and worketh grace and sanctification.

And as the word of God is the ordinary means by which he begins [ 2] the work of Sanctification: So it is the means also by which he carries on the same work to further measures and degrees. They were sanctified already for whom our Savior makes this prayer in my text; the work was begun in them, they were his own Apostles and Disciples; and yet for them he prays, sanctify them with thy Truth, q. d. Sanctify them yet more fully, make them yet more gracious and more humble, and more holy, by a more full discovery of the Truth revealed in thy Word to them: Sanctify them with thy truth, thy Word is truth. Indeed the Word, my Brethren, as it is incorruptible seed, by which men are regenerate and born again to God, as the Apostle shows, 1 Pet. 1.23. Being born again, not of corruptible, but incorruptible seed, by the Word of God: so it is milk which nourishes and makes them thrive and grow, while they are but babes in Christ: and it is also strong meat on which they feed, until they come ad 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. This for clearing of the point: proceed we to the Application.

[Use. 1] Is it so, That the Word of God is the ordinary means by which he sanctifieth his people in a way of inchoation? O then let Ministers be here entreated and prevailed withal, as they desire the Reformation and Conversion of their people, the working of unfeigned faith and grace in them, to be diligent and instant in preaching the Word and Gospel unto them, if they would have them turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. Let them lay out themselves in indefatigable pains this way. Let them be instant (as the Apostle Paul exhorteth Timothy) in season and out of season, and spare no labor to accomplish such a blessed end as this is.

[Object.] But some may say perhaps, That they have preached long and labored hard, and yet they see no issue, no success of all their labors; Their people are not turned to the Lord, no grace appeareth in their lives and conversations, so that they are exceedingly discouraged and disheartened in the work of God.

To this I shall reply in two or three particulars, and I shall be brief in them; for I am very sensible that other things will be more suitable to this Assembly.

[ 1] First, the fruit of their endeavors who faithfully dispense the Word of God, is not always manifest. Elijah thought he had been left alone, and yet even then there were seven thousand men that had not bowed the knee to Baal: Among the Rulers there were some who were indeed converted and believed in Christ; and yet because they were but novices, and newly entered, they were fearful to acknowledge and confess him; Grace is not always wrought with observation, as our Savior showeth, Mat. 13.13. It is compared to Seed in Scripture, which after it is sown, lies hid and covered in the earth a while, and is not seen. And therefore faithful Teachers should not be disheartened because they cannot see the fruit of their endeavors; it may be they have sown the seed, that may spring up and flourish in another age. And they have laid the good foundation under ground, and out of sight, on which another faithful Minister may build, and raise a very goodly frame. And herein is that saying sometimes verified; (to use our Savior's own word) Joh. 4.37. One soweth and another reapeth: The Prophets labored, and the Apostles entered on their labors; and so it is at this day.

Though their labor be in vain, respectively to their desired issue and [ 2] success, the conversion of their people, they ought not to desist from it; No, they must work the work of God, they must continue preaching still, though no fruit at all should follow: Thou shalt speak my words unto them, saith the Lord unto EZekiel, chap. 2.7. whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are a rebellious house; And the Apostles exhortation is very apposite to this purpose, 2 Tim. 4.4. They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. What now, must Timothy desist from preaching anymore unto them? No, saith the Apostle, watch thou in all things, endure affliction, make full proof of thy Ministry: Be diligent, perform thy duty, and leave the success to God; Waiting if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the Truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil, by whom they are led Captive at his will.

If they continue in their ministerial labors, though no apparent good [ 3] be done by it, they want not great encouragement; They are to God a sweet savor in Christ, not in them that are saved only, but in them that perish too, 2 Cor. 2 15. Though they spend their strength in vain (with reference to the conversion of the people) yet their judgment is with the Lord, and their work is with their God: that is, the recompense and reward of it, Isa. 49.4. And they have their recompense secundum laborem, non secundum proventum, as Bernard speaks, according to their labor, and not according to the issue and success.

But in the last place my Beloved, if after all their tiring pains and tedious [ 4] expectation, God should be pleased so to bless their labors to make them happy instruments of bringing in his chosen to him, their comfort would be very great in this world, their recompense exceeding glorious in the world to come. For they that are not only wise themselves, but also are the instruments of making others wise too, shall have a great deal of glory, they shall shine as the stars in the Kingdom of God forever and ever.

And as the Ministers are hence encouraged to preach the Word, so in [Use 2] the second place the people may be persuaded hence to hear it & attend upon it. If you be yet without the Covenant, and have not any saving grace in you, this is the ready way to have it wrought in your souls. It is the Word by which God sanctifieth in a way of inchoation; and if the Lord be pleased to concur with it, you may be sanctified by this means; you are not able to convert yourselves: My Brethren, you are not able to renew and sanctify yourselves; but the blessed Word of God, (if he be pleased to add virtue to it) may operate and bring about these great effects. The Law (that is the Word of God) converts the soul; the Truth, that is, the Word of truth (so is the Gospel called in opposition to the types and shadows of the Law) renews and sanctifies the heart, according to our Savior Christ's Petition to his Father here in the behalf of his Disciples: Sanctify them with thy Truth, thy Word is truth: And therefore you that are strangers to the life of grace, be you entreated and prevailed withal to put yourselves under the powerful preaching of the Word and Gospel of the Lord Jesus; O wait upon the doors of Wisedoms house, be swift to hear, attend upon the Word of God, lay hold on every opportunity to be partakers of this holy Ordinance, and then perhaps it may in time become a word of grace unto you, you may be sanctified by this Truth.

[Use 3] Is it so, That the Word of God is the ordinary means by which he sanctifieth his people in a further measure, by which he works not only the beginnings, but also the increase of grace? which is the second member of the point. We see then what the reason is why many Christians do not grow, make no increase at all in holiness and grace; nay rather in a declining and abating hand; there may be many causes of it; and this is not the least of the decay of many men, because they do not wait upon the powerful preaching of the Word of God, which is the means to make them prosper and to thrive in grace. You may take notice of too many such, who while they constantly attended on the means, were zealous, lively, active, fruitful Christians, their gifts were always on the growing hand: But since they have remitted of their diligence in this respect, they are sensibly decayed, and they are nothing like the men that they were in former times. Fall into discourse with them, alas their wonted faculty is gone; either you shall find them dead and stupid (as it were) not having any savory word to say in any matter that concerns Religion, or else they talk is so far of, so barren, so unprofitable, that it administers no grace, no benefit at all to them that hear it. Follow them into their houses, and there you shall observe that many holy exercises and religious household duties, which had been formerly set up, and constantly performed perhaps for divers years together, are either utterly neglected, or else discharged in such a cold and formal manner, that there is no life in them. Enquire of other men who knew them in their first beginning, and they will tell you all is gone; their wonted heat, and zeal, and forwardness is come to nothing, and in them the Proverb is verified, The Dog is turned to his own vomit, and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

[Use 4] Is it so, That the word of God is the ordinary means, by which he sanctifieth his people, not only in a way of inchoation, but also in a way of augmentation? Here then we see what we must do if we desire to thrive in holiness, to make a daily progress and increase in grace: We must attend upon the preaching of the Gospel: And truly there is little hope that we should ever grow (as Christians) without the use of this means. The tree that spreads and flourisheth, and brings forth much fruit, is said by David to be planted by the water side, Psal. 1.3. Even so the thriving and the growing Christian, must be planted by the means, he must be near the Word of God, those waters of the Sanctuary, as the Prophet calls them: That saving Doctrine must drop down upon him as the rain, it must distil upon him as the dew, and as the smaller rain upon the herbs, and as the showers upon the grass, as Moses speaks, Deut. 32.2. or else he will be like in time to wither, and decay, and come to nothing.

[Use 5] Is it so, That the Word of God is the ordinary means by which he sanctifieth his people not only in a way of inchoation, but also in a way of augmentation? Then certainly those men are in an ill condition, who though they constantly enjoy the preaching of the Gospel, yet do not thrive nor grow by it; they hear it Sabbath after Sabbath, yea and perhaps repeat it with their families, and yet are not a jot the better for it any way. Look at what point they were for knowledge, practice and obedience many years ago, at the very same they stay; they are the very same men, there is no alteration on them, they have not gained any ground on their corruptions, they are not grown a jot more constant and fervent in religious duties then in former times. What is the reason that the Gospel produceth not its genuine effect in these men, and that it bringeth forth no augmentation, no increase of inward grace, or outward obedience? the fault is not in the inefficacy of the Gospel, simply considered in itself, but in the hardness and deadness of their hearts; and as we use to say of ground that is manured and dressed, and watered much, if it yieldeth no increase, that it is very barren ground; just so we may conclude of these men: And certainly their case is fearful, if they so continue, as the Apostle shows us in the same Similitude, Heb. 6.7. The earth that drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But on the other side, that which bringeth briars and thorns is rejected and nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned: And therefore I beseech you my Beloved, as increase and growth in grace is one effect in God's Word, so let it bring forth this effect in you; and that it may so do, I shall prescribe you some directions.

Remove those impediments that hinder growth and profiting by [ 1] the Word of God, and they are principally such as follow.

1. The first is pride and loftiness of heart and spirit; for when a man is puffed up with a self opinion of his own sufficiency, and thinks he knows as much as all the Preachers in the world can tell him, how can he profit by the Gospel! He is so full that when the water of the Word is poured upon him, either it runneth over, and is spilled upon the ground, or else returneth back upon the face of him that poured it. If therefore you desire to thrive by it, come to hear it my Beloved with teachable and humble spirits; the Lord will teach the humble his ways.

2. Infidelity or unbelief; for if we give no credit to the Word of God, if we believe not the report of the Word of God, his arm will never be revealed to us, we shall not benefit, nor profit by it: And therefore this is yielded as the reason why the Jews were not a whit the better for the Word, Heb. 4.2. The Word did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

3. The third impediment is strong passion; for as obstructions in the stomach hinder growth by bodily and outward food; so vehement and head-strong passions do keep us from receiving growth and nourishment, and augmentation by the Word of God. You shall observe it commonly, that men that have such furious and unbridled passions in them, that will not be subdued by reason, nor by Scripture, do seldom profit by the preaching of the Gospel; no, it must be received with meekness if we mean to grow by it, Jam. 1.12. And therefore the Apostle yields it as the reason why the Corinthians could not bear strong meat, substantial solid truths, their stomachs were not able to digest them, they were so cloid with these obstructions, 1 Cor. 3.2.

4. Prejudice against the gifts or person of the Teacher; this will exceedingly abate the power, and hinder the success and profit of his teaching: If once the heart be prepossessed with jealousies and sinister thoughts and disaffection to the Minister, there is but little hope of any benefit that such a man will reap by his labors. These are the lets which we must labor to remove, if we desire to thrive and grow by hearing of the Word of God.

[ 2] If we desire to grow and to increase by it, we must not hear it only, but labor to digest it too. A man shall never thrive and prosper by the meat he eats if he digest it not, unless there be concoction and assimilation of it to the substance of the person that is nourished. Let such a person feed as plentifully as he will, there will be no augmentation. So let us hear as much and as often as we will, if we do not digest the Word of God, the bread of life, by serious meditation, by application of it to our own particular estate, there will be no increase of grace by it.

[ 3] Lastly, Let us seek to God by earnest prayer, that he would bless his Word to us; that sucking this sincere milk, we may grow thereby: Paul may plant, and Apollo may water, but the success (if any be) must be from God, as the Apostle shows, 1 Cor. 3.6. and therefore must seek it at his hands: Before we go to hear him speaking to us in his Word, let him hear us speaking to him in our prayers, that he would sanctify his holy Ordinance, and make it by his blessing to become a means of our increase in holiness and grace, until we come to be complete in Christ Jesus: Seeing the Word is but an Instrument in his hand, let us pray that he would manage it, and wield it, and make it powerful and successful. Let us renew our Savior's supplication in the Text, every time we go to hear, Lord, sanctify us with thy truth: thy truth alone and of itself will never do it, unless thou sanctify us by it, and therefore Lord do thou appear in this business: Sanctify us with thy truth, thy Word is truth.

DOCTRINE. The word of God of God, especially the Gospel, is the Truth.

In prosecution of the Point, I have two things to clear to you, before I come to application. First, That the word of God is all truth; there is no falsehood or deceit in it, and I shall be brief on that. Then that the Gospel is the truth by way of excellence, and in a specialty above the rest of Holy Scripture. I do not say the Gospel is more true then other things contained in the book of God, but it is truth of more concernment, and of more use, as I shall make it evidently and distinctly to appear to you.

[ 1] As for the first of these, the word of God is all truth; so it is styled in the letter of my text, without restraint or limitation, Thy word is truth. Whether it be the word of History, the things that are historically represented to us in the Scripture, or the word of precept, or the word of promise, or the word of threatening, all is truth. If you look to the intention of the Author of the word, God hath delivered nothing in it with a purpose to deceive. Or if you look to the matter of the word, the things themselves that are delivered in the Scripture, they are indeed as they are there expressed. The sayings of the Lord are true sayings, Apoc. 19.9. whether they be the sayings of the Father, or the sayings of the Son; For God the Father hath his saying, God spake these words in the preface to the Law. And God the Son hath his saying, Verily I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death, John 8.51. And both of these, the sayings of the one and of the other, the sayings of the Father, the Law of works, the sayings of the Son, the Law of faith, are absolutely and exactly true, there is no falsehood or deceit in them; They are the true sayings of God.

And they must needs be true, because they are the sayings of God. Thy word is truth, saith our Savior in my text. It is thine, and therefore truth. For he that is the author of it, he is the God of truth, as the Prophet David stiles him, Psal. 31.5. Observe it well, he doth not say he is the true God in himself, and in his nature, but he is the God of truth in his discoveries and revelations of himself to men. All that comes from him is truth. He is the faithful and the true witness, Apoc. 3.14. Not only true and faithful as a God, but true and faithful as a witness; And his word is his witness, not his ordinary saying only, but his witness to confirm us and assure us of that which is delivered to us, to work and strengthen faith in us. And therefore it is called the Testimony, or the witness of the Lord, I think no less then twenty times in Scripture.

[ 2] Now for the second branch, the Gospel is the truth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and in a specialty above the rest of holy Scripture. Thy word is truth, saith our Savior in my Text, that is thy sanctifying word which is the Gospel, Sanctify them with thy truth, thy word is truth.

The Law, (as far as I am able to remember) is nowhere called distinctly by itself the word of truth; but the Gospel commonly, not in my Text alone but elsewhere often. Indeed the Psalmist prays to God, Take not thy word of truth away out of my mouth; but he intends the promises for which he hoped, as you may see in that place, Psalm 119.43. And all the promises you know are Gospel, they are in Christ yea, and in Christ Amen. But on the other side the Law is mentioned as in some respect contradistinct to truth. The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, 1 John 17.

And yet you must not apprehend the Gospel to be truer then the Law, or any parts of Scripture. If it be truer, they are absolutely false. But it delivers truth of greater excellency then the rest of Scripture doth, as will appear if you consider either the subject matter of it, or the Revelation of it, or the Confirmation of it, or the Operation of it.

Gospel truth excelleth for the matter of it. Christ is the subject [ 1] matter of the Gospel, and therefore it is called the word of Christ, Col. 3.16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, not of Christ the Author only, but of Christ the subject matter: and herein it surpasses and transcends, not all other Books only that handle other arguments, but even all other parts and parcels of the Book of God itself. For Christ is the most precious and delicious matter. He is the richest, and the sweetest subject in the world.

1. Christ the Subject of the Gospel is the most rich and precious subject. He is the wealth and treasure of the faithful soul; there is in him an endless Myne and infinite Mass of inestimable riches. And therefore the Apostle having spoken of the riches of the glory of the Gospel, adds in the words immediately anexed, which riches is Christ in you, Col. 1.27. In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Col. 2.3. A treasure is much, but treasures are more. But when all the treasures that are in the world, shall be gathered together, and laid in a heap, there must needs be vast and riches. And this transported the Apostle Paul and swallowed up his thoughts and words, as unable to conceive it or express it, yea even ravished him beyond himself, that he was entrusted to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, Ephes. 3.8. He found no end, no bottom of them, he could not reach the height, and depth, and length, and breadth of those treasures, they had such immense and endless dimensions.

2. Christ the subject of the Gospel, is the sweetest and most delicious subject in the world. It was the only thing that weakened the delight that Austin took in reading of a certain work of Cicero's, because he could not find the name of Christ in it. That is a pleasant name indeed to every true believing soul; and wheresoever that is found, or whatsoever writing hath that high and holy person for the subject of it, whom to know is life eternal, should be read with full delight and high pleasure. And therefore that which treats of Jesus Christ, is styled Gospel, good news, and good tidings; yea good tidings of great joy. It tells us of a Jesus, a Savior, a deliverer out of bondage to sin and Satan and damnation, out of the most sad and miserable thralldom in the world; and this is infinitely sweet. Oh with what melting, self-consuming wishes and desires doth the poor distressed Captive long to hear of a Redeemer? how welcome is this news to him? and such a one is Jesus Christ to us, and therefore it is sweet to hear of him. And as the Gospel tells us of deliverance out of bondage, so of admission to such incomparable privileges here, to such unutterable happiness hereafter, as cannot choose but melt the heart with ravishing delight that hath assurance of a share in them.

[ 2] As Gospel truth excelleth for the subject matter of it, Jesus Christ, so for the manner of the revelation of it. The trurh in the Old Testament was covered with a Vail, not of Types and Shaddows only, but of dark expressions too, so that it was obscure and hid: But now it is unveiled as it were, and therefore the Apostle tells us, that we behold it now with open face, 2 Cor. 3.18. There is nothing now to hide it; The truth of the Old Testament is likened to the glimmering twilight in the dawning of the day, or to the faint and dimmer twinkling of a star; But Gospel truth is likened to the shining of the Sun at noon-day. And therefore we that live under Gospel-revelation are called the Children of the light and of the day, 1 Thes. 5.5. And the Apostle tells us that now the grace of God which brings salvation hath appeared, Tit. 2.11. It is a Metaphor in which the Gospel is resembled to a glorious Light, that having been obscured and masked awhile (even as the Sun when it is overcast and mufled with a dark and gloomy cloud) at length shines forth with admirable brightness and shows itself with darling splendor to the world. Though it were hid from ages and from generations, yet it is now made manifest unto the Saints, Col. 1.26.

[ 3] Gospel truth excelleth for the confirmation of it. It is better ratified then other truth. Truth may not be believed you know, it may not gain assent from those that hear it, for want of solid and substantial confirmation: But Gospel truth hath this preeminency, that it is now established to the very utmost, by the death of Christ himself. He hath sealed it with his blood, and therefore we have reason to believe it. Indeed the truth of the Old Testament was ratified and confirmed, yea it was confirmed in blood: But this was but the blood of Bulls and Goats; But now it is confirmed by the blood of Christ himself, which is a better and a more effectual confirmation. And this is that which the Apostle shows at large, Heb. 9.16. and in the following verses. So that the blood which ratified the Old Testament, was but the shadow and the Type of that which ratifies the new; and therefore this hath the advantage of the other. I must confess that the Old Testament was ratified by the death of Jesus Christ in destination, for so he was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world: But this is ratified by the death of Christ in actual execution, which is if not in itself, to us at least, a clearer and a better confirmation.

[ 4] Gospel truth excelleth for the operation of it: it hath effects transcendently beyond all other truth that ever was revealed to the world. I shall name but two only suggested in those two great Gospel Epithites, the word of grace, the word of life.

1. Gospel truth works grace. Not common grace, and common sorrow, and humiliation, and repentance as the Law doth, but saving grace: And therefore it is called the word of grace, Acts 20.32. It is so exclusively, it worketh grace alone, without the help and the assistance of the Law in that business. Something the Law may do towards us indeed, but it doth nothing in the work of grace. Of his own will begat he us saith the Apostle, by the word of truth, that is the Gospel, James 1.18. That, only that is properly and strictly sanctifying truth, Sanctify them with thy truth.

2. Gospel truth infuseth life, and that no other truth can do. The Law indeed can kill, but it cannot make alive; It is the Ministry of death and condemnation. The Gospel only is the Ministry of life and of Salvation. And therefore this exceeds the other, and surpasseth it in glory, as the Apostle shows at large, 2 Cor. 3.6, 7, &c. In this respect we find the Gospel called the word of life, 1 John 1.1. because it is the word that worketh life. It is the quickening word that raises men from death to life, to the life of grace in this world, and to the life of glory in the world to come.

And thus, I think we have sufficiently cleared the point, the word of God, especially the Gospel is the truth. Proceed we now to make some application of it, according to the divers branches of the point in order. I shall but touch upon the first, because I would no be prevented in the second.

Is it so, my brethren, that the word of God is all truth? then certainly [Use 1] it ought all to be believed. This truth on God's part calls for faith on ours. For what is faith but the belief of truth? as the Apostle Paul defines it, 2 Thes. 2.13. He hath chosen us to Salvation through Sanctification of the spirit, and belief of the truth. So that if the word be truth, it ought to be believed by us. And this our Savior Christ insinuates in his expostulation with the Jews, John 8.46. If I say truth, why do you not believe me? Though that which is delivered in the word of God be never so improbable, never so much above corrupt reason, never so impossible to a human apprehension, yet it admitteth not of doubtful Disputation and Expostulation, but rather calls for absolute belief.

And therefore they are deeply to be censured, who give no credit to the word of truth, further then their private spirits close with it, who do not answer God's truth with their faith. They read it and they hear it preached, but they yield no assent to it. No, they oppose it and dispute against it, they are mere Skeptics in religion; There are a multitude of such in these times. They consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Doctrine which is according to godliness, as the Apostle Paul speaks, 1 Tim. 6.3, 4. Whereas they that have ever felt the saving power of God's word, have their thoughts captivated to it, and will say as the Apostle, we can do nothing, we can speak nothing against the truth, 2 Cor. 13.8. These men upon the other side, when they hear the truth of God delivered to them, speak against it, contradicting and blaspheming, as the stubborn Jews did; Acts 13.45. They do not only ask with Mary, how shall this be? A question not of opposition, but of inquisition, Luke 1.34. But even peremptorily determine they can never be. And thus they bely the Lord, like those of whom the Prophet speaks, Jer. 5.12. This in a word for application of the former member of the point. We shall now apply the latter.

[Use 2] Is it so that the word of God, especially the Gospel is the truth? Is Gospel truth excelling truth? Then let us give it the preferment before any other truth, both in our inquisition and our acceptation. Let us dive into it most, and let us value and prize it most.

First, Let us give it the due preferment in our inquisition, let us dive into it most, and labor more to be acquainted with it then with any other truth. Let us read those books, let us hear those Preachers, and let us nourish those studies, which help us most to this knowledge; let us make this our main endeavor to be seen in Gospel truth: let us undervalue and neglect all other knowledge incomparison of this. It is the dangerous mistake of the greater part of men, who had rather be acquainted with the matters of the world, and to be skilled in secular and human learning, then in the doctrine of the Gospel. How do abundance plod to dive into the secrets and depths of nature, and set their wits upon the tenter-hooks, to search into the mysteries of Arts and Trades! how do they beat and work their brains to get abundance of experience and skill in worldly dealings and employments! but take no pains at all in hearing, reading, meditation, to dive into the mysteries of Jesus Christ. Tell me my beloved, have you ever among all your earnest strivings after insight either into human knowledge, or into matters of the world, been half so studious and industrious to search into this Gospel truth, to be acquainted with Christ Jesus who is the subject of the Gospel, to know that he was born, and lived and died for you, to know him and the virtue of his resurrection, not by speculation only, but experience, raising you up to newness of life, to know that he loved you, and gave himself for you? Alas the hearts of a great many of you, cannot choose but tell you, that you have hardly ever spent a serious thought on this. And the very best among us cannot choose but say that we have been too slight and careless in our enquiries into this knowledge. Ah my beloved, had we the spirit of the Apostle Paul, or of those blessed Angels, who desire to peep and pry into the Gospel truth as you may see, 1 Pet. 1.12. we would not foolishly misspend so much of our precious time, in empty, frothy and unnecessary studies, nor waste away that Lamp of reason in our bosoms in unprofitable blazes, but we would set more time apart to look into the Patent of salvation, and to acquaint ourselves with Jesus Christ before hand, that when we come into his presence at the latter day, we may be entertained as friends and not as strangers. You hear that Gospel truth is the study of the Angels, they had a little inkling of it, and it was so ravishing, that they must dive and pry into it; they were not able to forbear it. Oh Fools and Idiots that we are that now the Lord hath made it plain to us we should be so careless of it, that now the knowledge of it is attainable, we should willfully neglect that precious truth which was so studied and inquired into in Heaven, which Angels reached after, and yet when all was done, came short of the discovery.

Secondly, Since Gospel truth excels all other truth, let us give it the preferment, as in our Inquisition, so in our acceptation, and let us value it and prize it above other truth. Every truth of God is precious, but this truth is most precious, and therefore should be most esteemed and laid up with most care. All the sayings of God are worthy of acceptation, but Gospel sayings are worthy of all acceptation; 1 Tim. 1.15. all that is possible to entertain them with. And therefore the Prophets call the time of the Gospel tempus acceptabile, the acceptable time, the year of the Lord, Isa. 16.2. And if we look into the Scriptures, my beloved, we shall see what worthy acceptation it hath found. Zacchaeus made haste and received our Savior gladly into his house, Luke 19.6. So did the brethren at Jerusalem receive the Apostles because they brought the Gospel with them, Acts 21.17. So did the Bereans receive the Gospel itself with all readiness of mind, or forward affection, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Acts 17.11. So did the Galatians receive the Apostle with the honor of an Angel, even as Jesus Christ himself, because he preached this excelling truth to them, Gal. 4.14. The Merchant in the Parable (you know) did dearly purchase it, the Saints did earnestly contend for it, and took the Kingdom of heaven by violence. And hath it found the like esteem with you my brethren? have you received and entertained it as a transcendent and excellent truth? have your souls been even ravished with the knowledge of it? have you preferred it in your thoughts and your desires before all other knowledge, yea before all other things? Alas how many are there that never valued it, who think it to be foolishness in comparison of that which brings them worldly profit or advantage! It is a miserable thing to see how this incomparable Gospel is slighted in the world.

Now I beseech you my beloved; think upon it, what is it that you despise? The wisdom of God in a mystery which is adorned with so many glorious Titles in the Scripture to raise our hearts and our affections to it, without which all the wisdom and all the learning in the world is nothing else but loss and dung. And who is it that you despise in it? for the contempt and undervaluing of the Gospel carries in it more dishonor to every person of the Trinity, then any other sin. It is a shameful undervaluing of the Fathers wisdom, which he hath shown in no one thing so much as in the revelation of the Gospel, and therefore it is called the wisdom of God, as if the Gospel were the short abridgement, the sum and the Epitome of God's wisdom. It is a fearful slighting of the Fathers love, as if in all the business of our Savior's passion he had but put himself to needless compassion, and shown such love to men, as he might very well have kept in his own bosom, for anything we either need it, or care for it. It is an horrible contempt to Jesus Christ, to suffer him to stand waiting at our doors, even till his head be full of dew, and his locks with the drops of the night, to put in his fingers by the hole of the lock, to humble, empty and deny himself, to suffer the indignities and wrongs of men, the heavy wrath of God himself, and after all to have that precious blood which was drawn out with such woeful agonies, and with such exquisite and horrid tortures, counted no other then the blood of a common Malefactor, no more regarded nor looked after, no, though presented and offered to us, and that with obsecrations and entreaties too; who is able to express such baseness as this is! It is a high indignity to the blessed Spirit of grace to suffer him to wait in vain, to move, and to persuade in vain, to beg and to beseech in vain, till we do even weary him, and send him sad from us. Oh let us tremble of such contemptuous usage of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit, in the contempt of their Gospel; And henceforth let us receive it and embrace it as an excelling truth, as that which is of singular behoof and use, and consequently calls for singular esteem from us.

[Use 2] Is it so, That the Word of God, especially the Gospel is the truth: That Gospel truth is the truth, that it excels all other truth? Then certainly it lies on the professors of this truth to have a carriage answerable to it; to have an excellent carriage according to this excellent truth: that so it may not be disparaged and dishonored by our unsuitable and unagreeing conversations. As it is glorious in itself, so it should be glorified by us, and among us, as the Apostles phrase is, 2 Thess. 3.1. As it is excellent in itself, so it should be presented to the world as excellent by us, while we adorn it by our holy lives, as the Apostle Paul exhorteth, Tit. 2.10. that we adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

And in a word, my Brethren, We must walk as becometh the Gospel of Christ, this excellent Gospel, Phil. 1.27. And to this end I shall commend unto you, but these two things: First you must maintain it as an excellent truth. Secondly, you must obey it as an excellent truth.

[ 1] This Gospel truth must be maintained by you as an excellent truth. Indeed (my Brethren) you must stand for all Truth, you must never be against it, but you must be always for it, as the Apostle Paul insinuates, 2 Cor, 13.8. I can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. But you must stand for Gospel truth rather, and more then for any other truth, because it is of more concernment, and of more use. We are more eager and earnest in asserting the right and interest we have in things of worth, then in things of smaller value: That which is excellent, will have more to stand for it, then that which is comparatively mean and much inferior to it: and men will do it much more vehemently for a jewel then for a trifle: so let us in this case; and more particularly and distinctly let us earnestly maintain this excellent Gospel truth both by arguments and sufferings.

1. Let us earnestly maintain it by our Arguments and Reasons. The more excellent a truth is, the more we must appear for it, the more extremely tender we must be of any opposition that is made against it, the more we must endeavor to vindicate it and evince it, and to convince the gain-sayers. It is no wisdom for a man to lay out all his strength and heat on points of small consideration, as many men who are as earnest and as hot in petty matters as it is possible for men to be, and strive as much about words (as the Apostles phrase is) as they will about things. But when the weighty points of Gospel truths come once in agitation, when they are contradicted and opposed (as they have been exceedingly of late days) then it behooves us to bestir ourselves, to draw up all the arguments that we are able, to call in all the reason that we have, to defend and to make good such excellent and precious things as these are: We must contend for such truths, for they are worth the striving for with all our might; so the Apostle Jude would have us, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , earnestly contend or struggle for the faith delivered to the Saints, Jude 2, 1. I think he doth not mean the grace of faith, but the doctrine of faith, which is the Gospel; and therefore it is added presently, for there are certain men crept in among you, turning the grace of God (which is the subject of the Gospel) into lasciviousness; so that you see my Brethren, Gospel truth must be contended for, and that with earnestness, even to an Agony; as once Apollos convinced the dissenting Jews (who doubted of that great point of the Gospel, whether Jesus was that Christ or no) and he did it mightily, Act. 18.28. he did it as it were with all his might, being fervent in spirit, as it is said at the 25. verse; so that if any in these latter times have been too earnest and too vehement (as some have thought) in asserting Gospel truth, either in preaching, or discourse, they may the better be excused.

2. Let us earnestly maintain this excelling Gospel truth, as by our arguments, so by our sufferings, if God shall call us thereunto. It is an extraordinary honor and establishment to any truth, when some are raised up to suffer for it. As on the other side it is a shame and a disparagement when the professors of it give it over, and relinquish it as soon as times of trial come. Oh let not this dishonor come on the Gospel by our means: Let us stick to it, even to the loss of goods, and liberty, and life itself, let us seal it with our blood. Our Savior Christ himself you know, did not think his blood too dear to ratify the New Covenant, and to establish and confirm the Gospel, to seal the truth of Gospel promises. Let us not think that our blood is ill bestowed, if it may serve in any measure to that end for which Christ shed his.

And as we must maintain this Gospel truth as an excellent truth both [ 2] by our arguments and by our sufferings: so we must obey it too as an excellent truth. And this way we shall honor it exceedingly, and hold it forth as excellent to all the world. Indeed it is a greater honor and advancement to the Gospel to obey it, then to defend it, and maintain it. We favor those sometimes whom we defend; we always honor those whom we obey: And this my Brethren is the greatest honor we can do the Gospel, to set it up as our rule in our hearts, and in our lives: For you must know, my Brethren, that the Gospel as it saves from misery, so it requireth duty too: And hence we read not only of obedience to the Law, but of obedience to the Gospel too, 2 Thess. 1.8. And do you yield it this obedience? Do you live, and do you walk by Gospel rules? Brethren, I make no question all of you expect salvation by the Gospel: but do you hearken to the counsel and instruction of the Gospel? You expect deliverance by it, but do you yield obedience to it? I pray stand still a little, and consider with yourselves, and accordingly resolve. When you profane God's holy day, neglect the duties of his worship, either in public or in private, blaspheme his name, defraud and over-reach your Brethren; when you please yourselves with actual or contemplative uncleanness; when you drink to drunkenness, or walk in any other sinful courses, be they what they will: what doth the Gospel teach you these things? I say as the Apostle, have you so learned Christ out of the Gospel?

Doth the pure and holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus give any approbation to such courses? and do you think my Brethren, that the Gospel will ever save you, if it do not guide and rule you? that it will ever make you happy, if it do not make you holy? Now I beseech you my Beloved, ponder it and weigh it well, and look for no salvation by the Gospel, unless you yield obedience to the Gospel: For if you do, first you dishonor it; and secondly, you disappoint yout selves.

1. First you do exceedingly dishonor it, you cast a blemish and a stain upon it, you do not walk as becometh the Gospel of Christ, but cause it to be evil thought, and evil spoken of by wicked men: as if Christ saved men that live and walk and persevere in lewdness and profaneness, as if he favored and allowed of such courses; as if he fitted and provided heaven for swearers, drunkards and unclean persons. What kind of Doctrine may they think is that which holds out such beatitude to be expected and enjoyed by such wretches? Thus you prejudice the Gospel, you cast contempt upon it, and take away its excellency in the eyes of wicked men.

2. Whiles you expect salvation by the Gospel, and do not yield obedience to the Gospel, you strangely disappoint yourselves, and woefully delude your own souls; You may be confident of heaven while you persist in such courses; but when you come thither you will be ashamed, as Job speaks, chap. 6.20. Believe it Brethren, salvation and instruction will not be divided: you must take them both together; you cannot have the former, without obedience to the latter. If you will hear and learn and practice what the Gospel teacheth, you shall enjoy that which the Gospel offereth. If you will be obedient to the Gospel, you shall be saved by the Gospel, otherwise you cannot. As Christ is the Author, so the Gospel is the Instrument of life and salvation to them that obey it. As soon those black Infernal Legions, that are already damned to everlasting chains and darkness, shall be saved by the Gospel, as they that cast behind their backs the precepts of the Gospel, and will not walk accordingly in their lives and conversations.

It is a dreadful sentence to this purpose, able to break the hearts of wicked men, and to shake their joints in pieces, 2 Thess. 1.8. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed as Gospel truth is most excellent, so disobedience to this Gospel truth is most dangerous; we know what a fearful doom and dreadful sentence the Apostle thunders out against it, Heb. 10.26. If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth (the Gospel truth) there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. From which perversely wrested, though Novatus did extract that desperate Heresy of his, denying hope of pardon unto those who after they were once baptized, relapsed into sin: Yet (those uncomfortable inferences being laid aside) this is most evidently taught us in that Scripture, viz. That where the mind hath been enlightened once with Gospel truth, it tends exceedingly to the increase and aggravation of those sins that are committed after and against it. And therefore upon these considerations, labor to walk worthy of so glorious a Gospel, and so great a Salvation.

DOCTRINE. That Jesus Christ was sent into the world, by the appointment and command of God the Father.

The word in the Original importeth an authoritative sending, which is accordingly submitted to and yield to by the person that is sent. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , saith our Savior to the Father; Thou hast sent me into the world, so sent, that I accordingly am come into the world, I have stooped to thy mission; But this hath for the substance of it been handled on the third verse, and therefore I shall wave the further prosecution of it here, and pass on to the following words.

DOCTRINE. The Apostles and the Ministers of Jesus Christ are sent by him, they are of Christ's own sending.

For the Apostles they have their very name from sending. The word in the Original importeth such a one as is dispatched upon the errand of another, upon the business that another sends him in: And Christ is often said to send them. There are two memorable missions of them, mentioned in the Gospel story. The first a little after he had called them, Mat. 10.1, &c. When he had called his twelve Disciples (and they were his twelve Apostles, as they are styled, ver. 2.) he gave them power against unclean spirits. And these twelve he sent forth, ver. 1. and after at ver. 16. Behold I send you forth, saith he, as sheep among Wolves. The second memorable mission of them was a little after he was risen from the dead, and was even ready to ascend, Joh. 20.21. Even as my Father sent me, so send I you. And this is that which the Apostle Paul acknowledges, that he was sent by Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. 1.17. Christ sent me; what to do? not only, no not chiefly to baptize, but to preach the Gospel.

And as for ordinary Ministers, I take the seventy Disciples to be such. And of them it is observed in the story, Luk. 10.1, &c. After these things the Lord appointed other 70. also, and sent them two and two before his face; and addeth presently, Behold I send you forth as Lambs among Wolves. It is a rule that the Apostle Paul lays down, Rom. 10.15. How shall they preach except they be sent? He doth not say unless they be gifted, but unless they be sent. How shall they do the work and business of the Ministers of Christ, unless they be sent by Christ? so that the point is clear you see, that the Apostles and the Ministers of Christ are sent by Christ.

But least I be mistaken here, I must interpose a caution. You must not understand that they are sent by Christ Exclusively, that is, by him, and none but him: Neither as to the sending of the Father and the holy Ghost, the other Persons of the Godhead: Nor yet as to the sending of the Church: Neither of them is excluded, when we say, That the Apostles and Ministers of Jesus Christ are sent by him.

They are not sent by him Exclusively as to the sending of the other Persons of the Godhead, the Father and the Holy Ghost. The works of the Trinity without are undivided; and certainly it is their work as well as his, to send forth Ministers into the Church; and hence it is not only said, that Christ when he ascended up on high, he gave some Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Teachers. Eph. 4.11. Some extraordinary, some ordinary Ministers in his Church: But it is also said, That God hath see some in the Church, first Apostles, secondarily Prophets, thirdly Teachers, &c. 1 Cor. 12.28. God hath sent them, and that not God the Son only, but God the Father, and Holy Ghost too. Indeed the Scripture is express for this, that all the three concurred in this business. The Father thrusts forth Laborers into his Vineyard, Mat. 9.38. The Son gives Ministers in the fore-cited Text, Ephes. 4.11. The Holy Ghost makes Over-seers, Act. 20.28. Take heed to yourselves, saith the Apostle to the Elders of Ephesus, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Over-seers: So that you see, Christ sends not Ministers exclusively as to the sending of the Father and the Holy Ghost.

2. Nor doth he send them in the second place exclusively as to the sending of the Church: She also hath a hand (my Brethren) under Christ, and by authority from Christ in this mission. Election appertains to her, according to the rule of Christ, she chooses out fit men, Act. 6.3. So Ordination appertains to her; I mean, she doth it by her Officers, as Act. 14.23. And Ordination as it is a Designation to the Ministry, so it is at least a virtual and implicit sending forth to the work of the Ministry: And therefore Ministers are called the Messengers of the Churches, 2 Cor. 8.23. Not the Messengers of Christ alone, but of the Church of Christ too: They are not only sent by him, but they are sent by her also; she is the Wife, the Spouse of Jesus Christ, and so he suffers her to have a hand in sending of her own servants; For so are Ministers the Churches servants (though in some respects the Rulers, in other some the servants also) the servants of the Wife, and not the servants of the Husband only, as the Apostle insinuates, 2 Cor. 4.5. We preach not ourselves, but the Lord Jesus Christ, and ourselves your servants for Jesus's sake: This shall suffice for clearing of the Observation by way of Application; here are some things that concern the Ministers, and some things that concern the people; I shall proceed with them in order.

[Use 1] Is it so, That the Apostles and Ministers of Jesus Christ are sent by him? This then may serve to let them see their great mistake, who take upon themselves the Office of the Ministers of Christ, and yet are not sent by him: Concerning whom he may complain, as God complains of those in Israel, Jer. 23.21. I did not send them, yet they ran faster then a good pace: They were forward of themselves, but they were never sent by me. Brethren, men may not call themselves, or send themselves, because they think themselves sufficient; No, Jesus Christ will call and send whom he pleases: For though he call not men immediately from heaven now, as in the times of the Apostles, he calls and sends them mediately still, by the Churches suffrages, as you may see Act. 6.3. and by the laying on of the hands of the Presbyters, as the Apostles phrase is, 1 Tim. 4.14. And as it was a rule to the Levitical Priesthood under the Law, Heb. 5.4. No man takes this honor on him, no man doth de jure take it, but he that is called of God as was Aaron: So to the Ministry under the Gospel, no man takes this honor on him, but he that is sent of Christ. There may be many private Soldiers in an Army, that may be fit to be Commanders, every way it may be fitter then some of them that do command, and yet they may not take upon them to be so, without a regular and due admission. There may be many in the Common-wealth that may be fitter to be Justices of Peace then some of them that bear that Office, and yet they may not take upon them to be so, until they have received a Commission: Or if they should, it were impossible that their sufficiency should advantage the Army or the Commonwealth so much, as the ill president which they would give, and the disorder and confusion they would make, would do it hurt; and so there may be many private Christians, that may be fitter to be Rulers and Pastors of a Congregation, then many that do rule and teach, and yet they may not take upon them to be either, until they be sent by Christ: For if one may call himself, and send himself, a second may, and so a third, and then they may be all Teachers, which is the thing that the Apostle implicitly at least forbiddeth, 1 Cor. 12.19. And if all were one member, where were the body? as the same Apostle speaks. And indeed, if any man put himself into an office merely upon this account, because he thinks himself sufficient, the weakest will be most forward and most conceited of their own sufficience: and on the other side the ablest men most modest, because they best know their own weakness. And if you look on those who call themselves to be the Teachers of public Congregations, and who impose themselves upon them by force, and by a strong hand, as some have done in these times, you shall not find them of the ablest and the most judicious sort of men; No, not of those who are it may of their own opinion.

But you will interpose, and ask me then; What are not private Christians to employ their gifts for the common benefit? Yes, to the very utmost, my Beloved; As every man hath received the gift, so let him minister the same one to the other, as good stewards of the manifold graces of God, 1 Pet. 4.16. Their gift they have received to profit withal, and that not themselves alone, but others also; But still within their own sphere, within compass of their own calling: They may and ought as they are able, to teach, &c. as the Apostle speaks, Col. 2.12. in a way of conference; and this lies as a duty on them all, in some degree: For this is no Evangelical counsel, but an Evangelical precept; it is not permitted only, but required: But none of them may take upon him to be the public Teacher of the whole, without a due Vocation and Ordination thereunto. How shall they preach except they be sent? saith the Apostle, Rom. 11.15. How shall they do it lawfully? He doth not say except they be gifted, but except they be sent. Qualification is not enough, without mission: he must not go forth of himself, but must be sent forth by Christ.

Is it so, That the Apostles and Ministers of Christ are sent by him? [Use 2] This then may serve to let us see how far the power and the authority of Ministers extends in binding and in loosing, and in proclaiming either war or peace. They do it but as servants in a ministerial way, and by a delegated power; and in the execution of it, they must exactly keep them by the rule and the directions which they have received from him that sent them. They may not act according to their own discretion, and as it seemeth good to them, but must proceed in everything according to the orders and instructions of their Master. Or if they swerve a jot from these, they stray beyond the bounds of their Commission, and their authority is void. So that the power of Ministers in this regard, is Ministerial, and declarative: Yet this I add, because they do it by Commission from the Lord, and as Messengers of Christ, it comes from them, by reason of his Ordinance, with more assurance to the Conscience, then from any private person.

[Use 3] Is it so that the Apostles, &c. This then may serve to mind them what their duty is, and I shall give it you in two words.

1. They must do his work, and deliver his message, the errand which he sends them in. They must not bring their own devices to the people, their own fancies and conceits, the issue of their own brains, the froth of their own spirits, as many do in these times. No, they must speak the words of Christ, and speak them fully and completely. They must fulfill the word of God, as the Apostle speaks, Col. 1.25. They must without respect or fear, deliver all their Masters message, to any man to whom he sends them, how great soever he may be. They must not out of base and servile dread of any, suppress or mince their errand in the least degree, or deal so mannerly with men, that they become unfaithful to the Lord Christ. No, they must seriously consider that though themselves be mean and despicable persons, yet they are Ministers and Messengers of Christ himself, who is higher then the highest among men. And therefore as the Noble Roman said, non ita memor sum dignitatis vestrae ut obliviscar me esse consulem; So they must say when they are dealing with the great ones of the world; I am not mindful of dignity so far, as to forget that I am the Embassador and Messenger of Jesus Christ. They must be bold and resolute, with this assurance, that he that sendeth them, will bear them out, according to his many precious promises which he hath made for their encouragement to faithfulness in his service.

2. And as they must deliver Christ's errand, and not their own, so for Christ's ends, and not their own; they must not seek their own profit, or their own honor, but the honor of their Master. As Christ who was the Fathers messenger, glorified not himself, as the Apostle speaks, but him that sent him, Heb. 5.5. so they that are the messengers of Christ must not glorify themselves, but Christ that sent them. They must act for him, and woo for him, and win the souls of men to him. Their work must be to set him up, and to advance him that he may appear: They must with John the Baptist be contented to decrease, to wither in their reputation and esteem, so Christ may be in the increasing hand. They must not endeavor to take such a course in the work of the Ministry, that they may seem witty, and learned and eloquent, that men may admire them, and applaud their abilities, but that they may admire Christ, that the thoughts and affections of men may be carried to him; They must not preach themselves, but the Lord Jesus Christ as the Apostle did, 2 Cor. 4, 5.

[Use 4] Is it so, that Apostles, Ministers, &c. Then let the Church be here directed, and advised to prove those that pretend they are the Ministers of Jesus Christ, whether they be sent by Christ or no. The Church of Ephesus is much commended for her care and diligence in this regard, Apoc. 2.2. I know thy works, (saith Christ there) and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, &c. And thou hast tried them who say they are Apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars. They said they were the Messengers of Christ; and that they were sent by Christ (for thats the meaning of the word Apostle) but indeed they were not. The Church did not give them credit till she tried them, and so discovered them to be impostors and deceivers.

And truly there are many such in these times, who say they come from Jesus Christ, when indeed he never sent them. They are Messengers of Satan, and not of Christ: and therefore it concerns the Church to prove them well who come with these pretences, and to sift them to the bottom, that they may know not the speech of these men only, but the power, as the Apostle speaks, 1 Cor. 4 19.

And here you are not only to consider, whether they have obtained the election and ordination of the Church or no; for many reach to this who are never sent by Christ. But there are other things to be observed. I shall lay them down in order.

They that are sent by Jesus Christ, are furnished with competent ability [ 1] at least for the delivery of their message. You must not think that Christ will send by the hand of a fool. No, if there be a Messenger of Christ, he is one of a thousand for gifts and abilities. In the time of the Law when he raised up Prophets, what spirit, what power, what understanding was there in them? And is his hand shortened now, my beloved, in the days of the Gospel? He is ascended up on high, on purpose to give gifts unto men, for the work of the Ministry, Ephes. 4.12. He makes able Ministers of the New Testament, 2 Cor. 3.6. If he make them, they are able; and if they be not able, they are none of his making. Now this ability consists especially in two things.

1. Ability of knowledge. The Messenger of Christ is to deliver to the people the mind of Christ, the mysteries, the depth, the secrets of the Gospel; Such depths as the Angels desired to pry into, but could not find the bottom of them. And therefore Jesus Christ endueth them with more then ordinary understanding in these things. They may not upon pain of being guilty of the blood, conceal the very Counsel of God; they must be able to evince the truth, and to convince the gainsayers, Tit. 1.9. To clear the doubts of the erroneous, and satisfy the scruples of the tender conscience. They must be filled with knowledge, their lips must be a storehouse of it, and at their mouths it must be sought for by the people, Mal. 2.7. They must be ready upon all occasion, to drop down the balm of Gilead, the sweet and precious comforts of the Gospel into the sores of those whom God hath wounded: To speak even to the hearts of God's people, to utter a word in due season, to which alone is required the tongue of the Learned, Isa 50.4. To preach Christ, and to deliver his errand with all wisdom, Col. 1.28. And therefore whomsoever Christ sends, he fitteth them accordingly in some measure. He gives them that which the Apostles calls understanding in the mystery of Christ, Ephes. 3.4. and makes them Scribes taught to the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. Ability of utterance. Behold I give you wisdom, and a mouth, said Christ to his Apostles, Luke 21.15. So when he sendeth forth his Messengers, he doth not only give them wisdom and understanding in the message that he sends them in, but he gives them a mouth too, to utter and communicate that wisdom to the people. Or else what doth their wisdom and their knowledge serve for, as Messengers or Ministers, unless they have a mouth to bring it forth and to declare it to the people? I do not say that all the messengers of Christ must have voluble tongues and fluent expressions. There was among the Prophets a stammering Moses, as well as a smooth and eloquent Aaron: A pla •• blunt Amos for the Country, as well as a Rhetorical Isaiah for the Court: among Gospel Ministers there was a chief speaker, Acts 14.12. But yet however all that are sent by Jesus Christ, have in a measure that which the Apostle calls a door of utterance, Col. 4.3. a faculty to speak to edification. The Priest of Old must have knowledge in his lips as well as in his head, as Mal. 2.7. And the reason is annexed, because he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts. And you know a Messenger or an Embassador must not be dumb, but able in some handsome terms to utter and express the errant of his Master. And this is intended, when the Apostle speaking of a Minister, saith, he must be apt to teach, 1 Tim. 3.2.

[ 2] They that are sent by Jesus Christ, as they are furnished with ability, both of knowledge and of utterance: so they are qualified with propensity. And this is that which the Apostle calls a ready mind to feed the flock, 1 Pet. 5.2. and a good will to deal to the people the Gospel of Christ, 1 Thes. 2.8. Suppose he have ablility, yet if he have no mind to use it for the benefit and profit of the Church of Christ, no zeal to stir up the gift that is in him, but is remiss and idle, and prefers his ease and pleasure before the bringing in of souls to Christ, it is a shrewd presumption that Jesus Christ did never send him.

But if he can be well content to spend himself and to be spent for the salvation of the people's souls; if as John the Baptist, he be a burning and a shining light, wasting himself and burning out, that he may give the people light: If he account it (as his Master did) his meat and drink to do the will of him that sent him, John 8.34. so that he is not in his Element unless he be about his Ministerial work; If he resolve with the Apostle, this will I do if God permit, and think no peril nor no pains too great that he may finish his course with joy, and the Ministry which he hath received, it is very probable that such a one is of Christ's own sending.

[ 3] They that are sent by Jesus Christ are qualified with sincerity. I do not mean sincerity as Christians, but as Messengers of Christ, in the delivery of their message without addition or subtraction, In doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, Tit. 2.7. And this is that which Paul himself professes he had done, 2 Cor. 2.17. We, saith he, are not as many that corrupt the word of God; but as of sincerity, and in the sight of God, speak we in Christ. The Steward and the Messenger of Christ, as he is wise, so he is faithful; a faithful and a wise steward. He doth not for his own ends adulterate the Message of his Master, or coin a Message from him, which he never sent him in. And hereby you shall know him from another, that was never sent by Christ. As Christ speaks of false Prophets, by their fruits you shall know them, Mat. 17.16. that is, by their fruits as Prophets, not as men; Not by the fruits of their persons, but the fruits of their doctrine: The same may be applied to the false Messengers of Christ, by their fruits you shall know them. If the doctrine which they teach, and the message which they bring, be not the same which they have received from Christ; if they speak not the words of Christ, but fancies and devices of their own; if they deliver that which is against Christ, against the Word and Spirit and Ordinances of the Lord Christ; which tends to looseness and licentiousness (as many do in these times) believe it they are none of Christ's sending.

Is it so that Apostles and Ministers, &c. then certainly they ought to be [Use 5] received by you, and so received, as those that come from such a one as Christ is. As Christ should be well entertained because the Father hath sent him, so the Ministers of Christ should be well entertained because he hath sent them. Oh how welcome should we bid them who come from such a dear precious friend as Christ is? How beautiful and lovely should their very feet, their uncomliest parts be? What are you come from Jesus Christ indeed? hath he sent you? are you come from our Master, our Husband, our Head? You are very welcome to us.

And here to be a little more distinct, the welcome entertainment we should give them, consists especially in two things, to name no more at this time.

1. You must give them honor, as those that come from Jesus Christ; Yea double honor, the honor of reverence, and the honor of maintenance. The Messengers and the Ambassadors of Jesus Christ, must be received and entertained with all respects by you; Or if they be not, he esteemeth their dishonor as his own. He that despiseth you, despiseth me, saith Christ. And verily, if this be true, he was never more despised then in these days. Oh my beloved, what floods of ignominy and contempt and scorn are poured out upon the Messengers of Jesus Christ, those that are most faithful to him? so that abundance of them are hardly able to bear up against the venom that men spit upon them.

2. You must give them audience as those that come from Jesus Christ, considering that the message they deliver is Jesus Christ's and not their own: and therefore when at any time you are advised by them to come in and stoop to Christ, Oh think that Christ himself doth counsel you and call upon you. And when they offer peace and mercy and atonement, and beseech you to accept it; Oh think that Christ himself beseecheth and entreats you by them, and therefore do not baffle him and slight him, and put him off with a denial; for if you do, it is a most unsufferable provocation. O think as often as you hear them speaking to you, that you are hearing Christ himself from heaven, and then consider how you dare to slight them. For you despise not men but Christ, as the Apostle speaks in this case, 1 Thes. 4.8.

Is it so that the Apostles, Ministers, &c. this then should teach you in [Use 6] the last place to bear with all their earnestness and plainness, and not to stomach them and storm against them when they are free or sharp with you; Considering that they are but servants and cannot but deliver the message of their Master; its that to which their place and calling, and the trust which Christ hath put into their hands doth bind them: which trust they must discharge and not betray, be the hazard what it will; and therefore be prevailed withal to take all in good part, and not to think them injurious to you, because they dare not to be unfaithful to Christ.

DOCTRINE 2. Christ doth not send his Ministers particularly or restrictively to any Country, or to any Nation, but their Commission leaves them free to all the world.

YOU see, he doth not tell his Father, I have sent them into Jewry only, or into any other Region of the earth, but I have sent them into the world; That is the local object of their Mission, the world at large without restraint or limitation, all the world.

Indeed our Savior once professed of himself, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Mat. 15.24. And so accordingly when first he sent forth his Apostles, his express injunction was, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, but go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Mat. 10.5. At his ascension he appointed them to be his witnesses, first in Judaa and Jerusalem, Acts 1.8. This course and method the Apostles very carefully observed, as you may see, Acts 13 46. It was necessary (say Paul and Barnabas unto the Jews) that the word of God (the Gospel) should first of all be preached unto you. But if you mark it well, my brethren, the final and the last Commission of our Savior was, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature, Mark 16.15. Go ye and teach all Nations, Mat. 28.19.

But you will say that this was a Commission proper to Apostles, and doth not any whit concern succeeding ordinary Ministers, and Pastors in the Church, who are restrained to special places, and fixed in special Congregations.

I grant indeed that many ordinary Ministers are restrained and fixed so; but all are not so restrained, neither are any so restrained, but that they may in case remove to other places and to other Countries. And in that any are restrained and fixed, it is not merely as they are Ministers of Christ, but as they are the chosen Officers and Pastors of such a Congregation or of such a people. Their Commission as from Christ, doth not fix them anywhere, but leaves them free as I have said, to exercise their Ministry wheresoever they are called in all the world. Indeed the Apostle tells us that God hath set some in the Church, some Ministers of all sorts, as you may see, 1 Cor. 12.28. He hath placed and fixed them there. But that is out of all dispute the universal Church which is not limited to any Country, but is to be extended over all the world. For if you mark it, the Apostle saith not, God hath set some in the Churches, in the plural number, but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the Church, and that in such a latitude as that it comprehendeth in it all gifts, all members, all officers of all sorts, which cannot be intended of the Church of Corinth, or any single Congregation, but only of the universal Church of Christ on earth. There Christ hath set his Ministers, not his Apostles only, but his ordinary teachers; and if they be confined to narrower limits, it is not properly by his Commission, but by a call from men, or by some other secondary means. And as for that Commission mentioned even now, Go ye and teach all Nations, though it were given immediately to the Apostles, it cannot be restrained to the Apostles, being evidently meant, in and with them, of all the Ministers and Preaches of the Gospel that should succeed them in the Church to the end of the world. And therefore it is added presently in the next verse. Lo, I am with you always to the end of the world. They were not to continue for their own parts, by many hundred years so long, and therefore it must also stretch to those who were to follow them in the office and work of Gospel-preaching, till it be published universally to all Nations: which was not done you know by the Apostles; it was but begun by them, and must be carried on till it be finished by other Ministers of Christ in ever age successively to the end of the world; So that the point is clear you see; Christ doth not send his Ministers particularly or restrictively to any Country or to any Nation, but their Commission leaves them free to all the world.

And there are two great reasons of the Point, viz. because his Kingdom [Reason 1] is to be erected, and his Church is to be planted over all the world in every Country and in every Nation, under heaven. And therefore Jesus Christ doth send his Ministers to all the world, for this purpose, for the erecting of the one, and the planting of the other.

1. His Kingdom is to be erected over all the world. It is not bounded or confined to any Country, or to any Nation, but it is to stretch and to extend itself to all places, and to all people. And hence the Kingdom of the Lord Christ is likened to a stone that swells into a Mountain, and in the end replenishes the world, as Dan. 2.35. The stone that smote the Image, became a great Mountain, and filled the whole earth. A very fit resemblance of our Savior's Kingdom. First it is a little stone, it lies within a little compass, it is confined within very narrow limits; but yet at length it grows into a Mountain, yea a great Mountain, it stretches and extends out itself exceedingly, and in the end replenishes the whole earth. The beginnings are but small, a little stone, a man may put it in his pocket, but the stone becomes a Mountain, and the Mountain fills the world. And this is that which the same Daniel in his vision did foresee, as if it had been done already, Dan. 7.14. And there was given him, saith he, dominion, and glory and a Kingdom, (speaking of the Lord Christ) And what Kingdom shall he have? See in the following words; he shall have such a Kingdom, that all the people, Languages, and Nations in the world shall serve him. There is a Prophecy to this purpose, Psal. 22.27, 28. All the ends of the world shall turn to the Lord, and all the kindreds of the Nations shall worship before him; For the Kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the Governor among all Nations, with which accordeth that, Psal. 72.8. He shall have Dominion from Sea to Sea, and from the River unto the ends of the Earth: and yet again, Psal. 86.9. All Nations whom thou hast made (and you know there is no Nation which he hath not made) shall come and worship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy Name: This is the meaning of that famous Proclamation of our King himself, Mal. 1.11. From the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same, my Name shall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incense shall be offered to me, and a pure offering; for my Name shall be great among the Heathen, saith the Lord of Hosts: And when all these predictions shall be brought to execution, then shall that which was represented in a Vision unto John be really accomplished, Apoc. 7.9. I beheld, saith he, and loe a great multitude, which no man could number, of all Nations and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white Robes, and Palms in their hands: and then shall that triumphant voice take place, Apoc. 11.15. The Kingdoms of the world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.

Now how shall this be brought to pass, my Brethren, but by the preaching of the Gospel over all the world, which by our Savior Christ himself is called the Gospel of the Kingdom? Mat. 24.14. because his Kingdom is erected by it; and that is the first reason, why Christ sends forth his Ministers to preach the Gospel over all the world, that so his Kingdom may be erected by it over all the world. This Gospel of the Kingdom (saith our Savior in the fore-alleged place) that is, this Gospel by which my Kingdom is set up, and propagated and enlarged, shall be preached in all the world, to all Nations, and then shall the end come: When this is done, this Gospel preached, and this Kingdom thereby propagated unto all the world, then (saith our Savior) and not till then shall the end come.

2. And as the Kingdom of our Savior is to be erected, so Churches (in the second place) are to be planted over all the world: And that is another reason why Christ sends forth his Ministers to preach the Gospel over all the world; for Gospel preaching serves as to erect the one, so to collect and plant the other.

The Church indeed was anciently shut up among the Jews, but now it is let out to all Nations, so that neither Jew nor Grecian, neither Scythian nor Barbarian, is excluded from the Church. Thou hast redeemed us by thy blood, say the Elders to our Savior, Apoc. 5.9. not out of one, but out of every Kindred, Nation, Tongue and People.

This enlargement of the Church is clearly taught us in the Prophesy of Hosea 2.23. which may serve instead of all; And I will sow her to me in the earth, saith God there, which is a Metaphorical or borrowed speech, by which the Lord fore-shows the great extension of the Church in these latter Gospel days; For as the Husbandman that means to have his Corn increased and multiplied, first sows it in the ground, that so it may take root and spring and bear him many grains for one; so God affirming he will sow his Church, insinuates he will make it do as corn when it is sown, to grow and multiply exceedingly. So that from a very small, it shall increase to a great number. And hence he saith not I will sow her in the land of Canaan only, but in the earth at large without restraint or limitation. In former times, he made his breach in Jewry only; his field the Church was but a little corner of the world; but here the Lord fore-shows, that he will multiply her so, that she shall be dispersed over all the earth; And I will sow her to me in the earth: And for this reason, Jesus Christ sends forth his Seedesmen into all the Earth, that they may sow the Church in all Countries. This shall suffice for clearing of the point.

And is it so that Jesus Christ doth not send his Ministers particularly, [Use 1] or restrictively, &c. This then may serve my Brethren, in the first place at least to justify the practice of those Ministers of Christ, who for the propagating of the Church of Christ and elarging of his Kingdom, have done as the Apostle Paul professed he had strived to do, Rom. 15.20. saith he, I have strived to preach the Gospel not where Christ was named, least I should build upon another man's foundation; but as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of they shall see, and they that have not heard shall understand. You heard even now of many zealous Instruments of Christ, who have had the same design, viz, to preach the Gospel in America, where Christ was never named till within these few years. To lay the first stone of the Foundation of Religion there, to gather Churches, and to erect the Kingdom of the Lord Christ among the poor blind Indians, in the remotest quarter of the world, That so the Fathers promise may at length be made good to Jesus Christ, Psal. 2.8. Ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. And verily in this my Brethren, they have not gone beyond their line, they have not strayed beyond the bounds of their Commission. Christ doth not send his Ministers, as you have heard, particularly or restrictively to any Country, or to any Nation, but their Commission leaves them free to all the world: Even the Commission, not of Apostles only, but of the ordinary Ministers of Christ, as I have shown before in Explication of the point: so that they are within their compass still, though they be among the Indians, even at the other end of all the Earth.

And it is to be very much observed, that Christ hath given abundant testimony to this glorious work of theirs, in the incredible success of their endeavors there, so that poor naked souls come continually to Jesus Christ, stoop to the Government and Scepter of his Kingdom, desire to be acquainted with his will, to be instructed in the way of his worship, to have their children brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; And in a word, they shame us who have so long enjoyed the Gospel, that we are even weary of it, and begin to put it from us, and so to judge ourselves unworthy of eternal life. The Lord in mercy grant it go not from us to the Indians, who prize it more, are more eager after it, and more fruitful under it, according to their light, then multitudes of us professed Christians are.

Now I beseech you my Beloved, cast an eye upon them, travail thither in your thoughts and meditations; there you shall see some Ministers of Jesus Christ, once our fellow-Laborers, spending themselves, undergoing difficulties without number or measure, to convert souls, and gather Churches among blind Heathens. There you shall see the Gospel blossoming, the Church enlarging her Tent, and stretching forth the Curtains of her habitation, the Doves flocking to the windows of the Ark, the Church of Christ, the fullness of the Gentiles now beginning to come in; and in a word, that great work going on, which is incomparably the most remarkable that Christ hath yet to do in this world.

What shall we do now, my Beloved, and how shall we behave ourselves under such a dispensation? shall we (as many have done heretofore, and it may be yet do) condemn the Instruments, as if they went beyond themselves in this business? Shall we mock at these beginnings of the building of the Temple? shall we despise the day of small things? shall we as Gallio care for none of these matters?

Truly the least that we can do, is to comply with Jesus Christ in this design of his, for which he sends his Ministers into the world, and to promote this glorious work to the utmost of our power. It is in the hands of those for whom (as you have heard) it is too heavy, so that they cannot manage it, they are not able to go through with it. They seem to call over to us, as the man of Macedonia, Come to America and help us. Oh let not such a work miscarry, and fail of being driven on, for want of any help that we can yield to it, a work that is so purely Christian as this is.

But which way can we help it on? it may be you will say to me. Truly my Brethren, if no other way, we may promote and help it on at least without purses and our prayers. This we may do at this distance. I shall speak a word to either.

1. We may promote it with our prayers. This was the course the Prophet took as you may see, Isa. 62.1. In the precedent chapter he is very large, and eloquent on this business; showing the future glory of the Church, by the addition of the fullness of the Gentiles in all Countries and in all Nations. And having done with the description of it in two whole Chapters, me thinks he is an end to hasten the fruition of it: For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, saith he, and for Jerusalem's I will not rest. So we, my Brethren, having heard of the beginning of this great work in America, let us do as Isaiah did, let us be always crying to the Lord, let him be hard beset on all hands, let him not have a quiet hour. The Lord hath set his Watchmen on the walls of his Jerusalem, to this purpose, Isa. 62.6. that they may watch such opportunities as these are. And least he should forget this great work, when it is upon the wheel, he hath appointed some remembrancers to mind him of it, and therefore let us be continually minding God of this business, beseeching him to go on with this work, till he hath brought it to perfection, till the whole fullness of the Gentiles be come in, till Christ inherit all Nations. Let us remember that we have a little sister in America, and that now is the day of speaking for her, for now her case and business is in agitation; and therefore now let us be earnest with the Lord, let us pray and pray hard, let us not be cold or dead in such a suit as this is.

We may promote it with our purses and estates: And this is that especially we have in hand at this time. There are very many things in that great business now on foot, that need pecuniary helps, as hath been said. The charge that lies on these that are the agents in it, is exceeding great, and indeed too heavy for them; and therefore we (me thinks) that share not in the difficulties and the labors that other of our Brethren undergo among the Indians, should be content to share a little in the costs; for who would willingly sit wholly out in such a blessed work as this is?

Alas, my Brethren, how much idle money do we spend a hundred ways, that might be saved for such a purpose! And truly I believe, we never had occasion to lay money out to a better end then this. Now we may help, in a qualified sense, to purchase souls with money, to further the accomplishment of the Gospel promises with money; we may make temporal and earthly things serve spiritual and heavenly ends.

And therefore I beseech you, my Beloved, enlarge your bounty more then ordinary, in such a choice and extraordinary work as this is. Let love to Christ and to his Church, compassion to those blind Americans, draw out your very hearts to them, that those poor Indian souls, whose Conversion and Salvation you may further by this means, may bless you. Thus make you friends of the unrighteous Mammon, that you may render up a good account when the day of reckoning comes.

Is it so, That Jesus Christ sends forth his Ministers into the world, and [Use 2] that (as I have said) to gather Churches, and erect his Kingdom over all the world? Then let this raise our hearts, my Brethren, in reference to this work, which is indeed the greatest and the most eximious that Christ hath yet to do in this world. Oh let our hearts be lifted up towards it, and that especially three ways, in faith, in expectation, in Petition. I shall speak to them in order.

Let our hearts be lifted up in faith, with reference to this work; [ 1] Let them be raised to a full and firm belief, that it shall surely be accomplished in the Lord's own time. Christ hath sent forth his Ministers about it, and brought it on a great way, and therefore let us rest upon it, that he will surely finish it in his season. It may be you may look upon it as a thing almost impossible, that all the Nations of the world should turn to Christ, and receive him for their King. But if you will cast back your eye on the beginnings of this glorious work, you cannot but acknowledge, that it was as hard to bring it on to what it hath attained already in the world, as to perform that which remaineth to be done; All that which we expect is not so hard, as that which Christ hath done already.

If you had seen him here upon the Earth, and his fishermen about him, you would not have imagined that so many Nations would ever have been brought in to him, as there are at this day. When he sent out a company of poor despised men to preach the Gospel, and to draw men in to him, by telling them they must deny themselves, and they must take up their Cross and suffer persecution for his sake; they must forsake all, leave all and follow him; you would have thought this had been an unlikely way to do very great matters. And yet by such improbable, unlikely means as these, hath Christ been entertained in many Nations, and many Countries, and multitudes of people have been brought to stoop to him. And therefore seeing he hath done so much already, and that in such a strange way, as you would never have believed, if you had not seen it done, you may the better cast yourselves upon him, with this assurance that he will overcome the difficulties that are yet behind, that he that hath begun the work, and prospered it so far as he hath done, will finish it until he hath brought in the fullness of the Gentiles to his Church and Kingdom, from one end of the earth unto the other.

[Object.] But you will ask me now perhaps, What, would you have us to believe that all the people of the world shall accept of Jesus Christ, and receive him for their King, and be the Subjects of his Kingdom? Why then it seems there should be no tares, no Goats, no wicked when that time comes.

No, my beloved, this is not the thing at which I aim: And therefore you may not be mistaken, you must remember that distinction of the Kingdom of Christ Jesus, into the Kingdom of power, and the Kingdom of grace.

The first of these indeed is universal, and doth already reach to all places and to all persons. Though all be not the subjects of the grace of Christ, yet all are subject to the power of Christ. And hence the Psalmist tells us, that his Kingdom rules over all, Psal. 103.19. And that he is the King of all the earth, Psal. 47.7. he is King of all the places in the earth, yea and of all the persons in the earth either one way or the other. Either he is a gracious King to rule them, or a powerful King to break them. And thus his Kingdom doth already reach to all Countries, and to all people.

But now my brethren, for the second Kingdom which we have called the Kingdom of grace, that is also in a sense, to stretch and to extend itself to all places, and to all people. I shall clear it very briefly.

1. It is to stretch and to extend itself to all places and to all Countries. The Church of Jesus Christ is to be Catholic in this respect, and so by consequence his Kingdom too, it is to be erected and set up in all Nations. And hence the Holy Ghost affirmeth, that all the people, Languages, and Nations in the world shall serve him. And the Apostle tells us that in the business of sanctification, or setting up the Kingdom of Christ Jesus in the hearts of men, there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither Scythian nor Barbarian, but Christ is all in all. That is, the Jew is not preferred before the Greek, and neither of them is preferred before the Scythian and Barbarian, but all of them are one to Christ, and Christ is one to all of them: and he will have a Church and Kingdom as well among the Scythians and Barbarians, as among the Jews themselves.

2. And as this Kingdom is to stretch and extend itself to all places, and to all Countries, so it is also to extend itself to all people; That is, to all degrees and sorts of people, though not to all of those sorts. And as there is no Nation, so there is no condition or estate or rank of men excluded from the grace of Jesus Christ, nor barred from being subjects of his gracious Kingdom here, and of his glorious Kingdom hereafter.

Let our hearts be lifted up in expectation of this glorious work. [ 2] Since Christ hath sent forth his instruments about it, to gather Churches, and to erect his Kingdom over all the world, and since the work hath prospered very far, and now is going on amain among the Indians, let us not lie still and idle, as if we knew not what is a doing in the world. Now Christ's work is in his hand, let our eyes be in our heads, and let it raise up extraordinary expectations in us; The Prophet having had a glymps of this most excellent and glorious work in contemplation, when it was not yet begun, is on tip-toe presently, Isa. 62.1. And so let us, especially now we behold it in the execution, let us lift up our heads and look, let us get up on our watch-towers where we may have more advantage to see, if by any means we can discover more of it: and let our spirits be continually reaching after the fufilling of it, as being full of hope about it.

Let our hearts be lifted up in supplication for the accomplishment [ 3] of this work. Not that we can change the Lord by any means, or antedate his Counsels and Decrees; but yet if we would have such glorious works to come to execution, it is extremely necessary for us to do that on which the execution of them is suspended in the Scripture. I will build the ruined, and I will plant the desolate and desert places, saith the Lord, Ezek. 36.37. I will build the ruined Nation of the Jews, which was a Church in former times, and I will plant the desolate and desert places of the Gentiles; I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it; But yet on this condition, that I will be inquired of by my people. The Lord will surely come (my brethren,) in his own appointed season, and gather Churches, and erect his Kingdom over all the world. But in the mean time he will have his people pray, Thy Kingdom come; he will have them hasten him and fetch him by their prayers, that he may say unto them, as the Angel did to Daniel, Dan. 10.12. From the first day that thou didst set thyself to understand, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words, And here to quicken you a little, I shall present you with a few Considerations.

1. The Lord expects you should be very earnest and importunate with him this business. He hearkens after supplications; and looks that men should ply him hard. Thus saith the Lord, the holy one of Israel and his maker, Isa. 45.11. Ask of me things to come concerning my Sons, command you me. q. d. There are great things to come that I am doing for my Church; what is the reason that ye are so still, and that I hear of no Petitions from you touching these things? You are always plying me for present things, but I delight to hear you pleading with me for those glorious things to come, which I will surely do for my people. Come put in your Petitions and requests concerning them, and I will stoop so low to be commanded by your prayers. Ask of me things to come, concerning my Sons and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

2. Consider in the second place, to quicken you in prayer, that this is such a business as is worth your earnestness; assure yourselves you cannot lay out too much heat and zeal upon it. When once the Lord hath gathered in a people to him over all the world, the Church shall have perfection of beauty. It is a very high expression, but you shall see it is applied to Zion, Psal. 50.2. And it is meant apparently (my bretren,) of the Gospel Zion, of the Gospel Church; for in the following parcel of the Psalm, the Lord rejecteth Jewish worship. Indeed the Churches happiness shall be so great in those days, that it is called heaven very often in the Scripture. And so the Saints who are to be the Members of that Church, are said to dwell in heaven, Apoc. 13.6. Indeed my brethren, it shall be heaven upon earth.

3. Consider that the bringing in of people over all the world to Christ, will be an extraordinary honor to him: the enlargement of his Kingdom is the enlargement of his glory. It adds exceedingly you know, my brethren, to the Luster of a Kingdom, when it hath many people under it, and when the territories of it are amplified and enlarged. Its no such glory my beloved, to be the King but of a little City or a little Island or of a small and inconsiderable company of men. But to be the King of many Nations, and of many Kingdoms, to have a multitude of people in subjection, this is a glorious thing indeed. In this respect the Empire of Christ Jesus in the latter times shall be unparalleled, when once the Jews come in and bring the fullness of the Gentiles with them. And therefore out of love to Jesus Christ, and regard to his glory, we should be intent upon it.

4. Consider that the bringing in of people over all the world to Jesus Christ, will be very beneficial and advantageous to ourselves. Perhaps we do not apprehend it to be so: this Country is come in already to the profession of the Gospel, we are come in already, and what need we care so much for other Nations, and for other people? We are well enough ourselves, and why should we look after others? Yes, my beloved, we have reason to look after others: for till all others that belong to Christ of all the Nations of the world be gathered in, we are not in so good a case as we shall be afterwards; We are in Christ perhaps, and that is well for us indeed; but others of his people by election, of many other Countries, are as yet without: and we without them cannot be made perfect, as the Apostle shows, Heb. 11. ult. We without them are members in a sense of an imperfect body. We without them have but imperfect grace, nay though we were in heaven already, we could have but imperfect glory. Till all that appertain to Christ be gathered in of all Nations, so long as there is but a man without, there can be no day of judgment, and so no full reward, no complement of our beatitude. And therefore we have reason to help on this glorious work to the utmost of our power, because till it be accomplished, it cannot be so well with us as it will be afterwards; we without them cannot be made perfect.

Is it so that Jesus Christ sends forth his Ministers to gather Churches, and to erect his Kingdom over all the world? Here then is matter of rejoicing and thanksgiving for us, the once rejected and neglected people of the Gentiles. There was a time my brethren, when we were set without the verge, the reach of mercy; When the poor Gentiles lived, and we too lived without God, without Christ, without a promise, without Gospel; when Christ did never send to them, to invite them to come in, and when he had no Scepter but in Jewry, no subjects (in a manner) but among that people. Alas my brethren, Christ was a King in those days, to break the Gentiles by his power, but he was not a King to rule them by his grace. But now, my brethren, in these Gospel days, there is no such respect of persons with him, as the Apostle shows, Acts 10.34. In every Nation, and in every people he hath or shall have some to serve him, and to be accepted with him.

And therefore whereas formerly, he sent his messengers to none but to [V;se 3] the people of the Jewish Nation, and gave them an express Injunction, Go not into the way of the Gentiles: In which respect it was that Peter was scrupulous to preach the Gospel to Cornelius: Now he sends forth his Ministers to all the world to all Nations: now he enlargeth their Commission, Go preach the Gospel to every Creature; So that we Gentiles are included in it. All Countries, People, Callings, Nations, are alike to Christ in this respect; the publication of the Gospel and the tender of Salvation, belongeth to them all alike, and if they entertain it and embrace it, whether they be Jews or Gentiles: whether they be Males or Females, whether they be bond or free, they shall have salvation by him.

How great a cause have we my brethren, that are Gentiles, of rejoicing and thanksgiving, that Jesus Christ should send to us, that the word is come to us as it is to all the world, that we should have the Gospel published and revealed to us! That we, who formerly were utterly shut out from the enjoyment of the means of our salvation, should have as full and free a title to them now, as the very Jews themselves. Nay that we should have the preferment of the Jew, in that by the abundant blessing of the Lord upon the means, the Churches of the Gentiles (which were wholly desolate and barren heretofore) should be more fruitful, and have more increase of children then she that sometimes had an husband. Oh let us magnify the grace of Jesus Christ, let us adore the infiniteness of his mercy that he hath cast us on these happy times, wherein he takes such care of poor Gentiles, wherein he sends to them, and wherein he looks after them as if they were some rich purchase. Ah, my beloved, did we follow this mercy as far as we could reach it in our thoughts, we should at length (finding no end or bottom in it) cry out with the Apostle, Oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and goodness of Christ, &c.

DOCTRINE 3. There is a great similitude between the Fathers sending Christ into the world, and Christ's sending his Apostles and Ministers into the world.

THis is apparently suggested here in the particle as, and the particle also. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. My sending them is much like thy sending me. So he compares them each with other in another place, almost in the same words, John 20.21. As my Father hath sent me, so send I you. The thing is plain enough, that so it was in some respects.

But wherein, and in what respects this likeness stood, will need to be explained with much Caution. Because as there was great likeness between the Fathers sending Christ, and Christ's sending his Apostles and Ministers into the world, so there was a great unlikeness too. As the similitude was great, so certainly the dissimilitude was great too. And therefore while I show the likness, I will show you the unlikeness, both of them at one view, That you may see the one the better for the other.

[ 1] As God the Father sent the Son with authority and power, so Jesus Christ sends his Apostles and Ministers with authority and power too: as God gives him power, so he gives them power. And therefore having said to his Apostles, All power is given to me both in heaven and in earth, Mat. 28.18. he adds immediately in the very next words, Go ye therefore and teach all Nations and baptize them. q. d. because I have received such ample power myself, therefore I give you this Commission, by which I put a part of this authority and power on you; Go forth and exercise it over all the world. And this is that which the Apostle calls the power which Christ hath given him, 2 Cor. 13.10. To intimate that he received his power and his authority by way of delegation from the Lord Christ, as Christ received his power and his authority (as he is man and Mediator) by way of delegation from the Father; and as the Father gives the Son a Key of power, as you may see in that remarkable place, Isa. 22.22. The Key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, (that is, upon the shoulder of Eliakim who was in that respect a figure and a Type of Christ,) and he shall open and none shall shut, and he shall shut and none shall open: so Christ gives Keys of power to his Apostles and his Ministers, as you may see exemplified in Peter, Mat. 16.19. I will give thee (saith Christ) the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven, viz. either in the preaching of the word, or in the regular administration of the censures of the Church.

Here is a great Similitude you see between the power with which the Father sendeth Christ, and the power with which Christ sendeth his Apostles and his Ministers into the world. As Christ hath power to shut and open from the Father, so have they from Jesus Christ; as Christ hath power to bind and loose from God the Father, so have they from Jesus Christ. As Christ hath power to remit sins, and to retain them from the Father, so have they from Christ; and therefore having said to his Apostles, As my Father hath sent me, so send I you, he adds immediately in the next verse save one, Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted, and whosesoever sins ye retain they are retained.

But yet as the similitude is great in this respect, so is the dissimilitude: The power which Jesus Christ received from God the Father, is an universal power. All power is given to me, saith our Savior, both in heaven and in earth, Mat. 28.19. And in another place, he minds his Father, That he had given him power over all flesh, Joh. 17.2. But now that power which the Apostles and the Ministers of Christ received from him, is more particular and more confined. Jesus Christ hath all power, all sorts and all degrees of power; they have but some power, some sorts, and some measures. The power which Jesus Christ receives from God the Father, is a Kingly power; he sets him up as King upon his holy hill of Zion; and so accordingly he crowns him: The power which they receive from Christ, is but a Ministerial power. Christ hath a Legislative power to make laws, while they have but a Legis-narrative or Declaratory power to publish laws: Christ doth jus dare, and they do but jus dicere: Christ binds and looses, shuts and opens, remitteth and retaineth sins, authoritatively as a Sovereign Lord; they do it but declaratively as his Ministers and servants.

There is a great similitude between the Fathers sending Christ, &c. in [ 2] regard of qualification: as Christ receives an unction from the Father to his Office, so they received an unction from the Son to their Office; as Christ is qualified with the Spirit, so are they: Let us compare them each with other, and we shall see it very clear: The Prophet speaking in the Person of our Savior, saith, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he hath anointed me to preach, Isa. 61.1. And so accordingly when he first began to preach, he took this very Text to preach upon, as you may see, Luk. 4.18. Behold my servant (saith the Lord) whom I uphold, Isa. 42.1. and mine Elect in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him, and that to qualify him for his Office, as is apparent in the following words; for it is added presently, That he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. A bruised reed shall he not break, &c. And this is that which is suggested in the Prophesy, Isa. 11.2. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, and it shall rest upon him in those graces and endowments that fit him for the places to which he is designed. And hence it is immediately annexed, The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. So then you see the Father as he sends Christ, so he endues him with the Spirit, to fit him for the business that he sends him in.

But doth our Savior so with his Apostles and his Ministers? yes, my Beloved, just so: he qualifies them with the Spirit too: and therefore having said to his Apostles and his Messengers, Joh. 20.22. As my Father hath sent me, so send I you. The very next words are, And when he had said thus, he breathed on them, and said unto them, receive the Holy Ghost. And so accordingly the Holy Ghost fell upon them abundantly to fill them and enable them for their Ministerial Office, even as they were about to go abroad and preach. Act. 2. Here is a greater similitude you see, between the Fathers sending Christ into the world, and Christ's sending his Apostles and Ministers into the world, in regard of qualification.

But yet as the similitude is great, so is the dissimilitude in this too. The unction which the Ministers of Christ received from him, though it be like the unction which Christ himself receiveth from the Father in the thing, yet it is nothing like it in the measure and degree. Though they be both the unction of the Spirit, Christ's is surpassingly, transcendently beyond theirs; He is endowed with all the graces of the Spirit of every sort, and every kind, so that not one of them is wanting in him: And therefore it is said in Scripture, that in him all fullness dwells; that is, the fullness of all graces whatsoever. But now, my Brethren, in the Ministers of Christ it is not so, in them there is a division of graces (though not of the graces of Sanctification) yet of the graces of Edification, and one is made partaker of a gift which another hath not. There are diversities of gifts, saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 12. to one is given by the Spirit the word of knowledge, to another prophesy, &c. But all these concur and •• er in Jesus Christ, so that he is in this respect inricht above them all.

And as our Savior is qualified by the Father, with all kinds and sorts of graces, so with all measures and degrees; As he hath all graces in him, so each of them is raised and intended to the highest measure, so that there can be nothing added to it, to make it more complete and perfect. Indeed, my Brethren, he received not the Spirit by measure from the Father, as the Evangelist observes, John 4.32. but beyond all measure. But now the Ministers of Christ receive from him but a measure of grace, as the expression is, Rom. 12.3. So much as he sees fit to qualify them for the work that he employs them in, as you may see, Eph. 4.8. When he ascended up on high, he gave gifts unto men, for the work of the Ministry, and for the edifying of the body of it.

[ 3] There is a great similitude between the Fathers sending Christ into the world, and Christ's sending his Apostles and Ministers into the world, in relation to the Errand that both of them are sent in. Christ sends his Ministers into the world, upon the very same errand that the Father sent him into the world. For mark it, why did God the Father send Christ into the world? Truly my Brethren, to be his spokesman unto the world, as the Apostle shows, God who in times past spoke to the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last days, spoken to us by his Son; To preach the Gospel to the world: He hath anointed me to preach, saith Christ, Luk. 4.18. To preach what? to preach the Gospel to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the Captives, &c. And why did Christ send his Apostles and Ministers into the world? Why to preach the Gospel too. That is the sum of their Commission, Mar. 16.15. Go preach the Gospel to every Creature. The Ministers of Christ are separated to the Gospel, as Rom. 1.1. They must preach all Gospel, or else all for Gospel ends. They must preach Law with Gospel purposes, and Evangelical intentions. So that the Father sends the Son, and the Son sends his Apostles and Ministers upon very the same errand; here the similitude is very great.

But then the dissimilitude is very great too, in that the Son whom God the Father sends, is transcendently above the Ministers whom Christ sends, in the very same business; both are Apostles, but Christ is the chief Apostle; both are Preachers of the Gospel, but Christ is the chief Preacher: He preaches it with such authority as they are not invested with, and with such efficacy too, as they can never reach to; He preaches by the Spirit to the heart and to the inward man; and so he doth it with infallible success: They can preach only to the ear, and to the outward man, and hence they often fail of the desired issue: they spend their strength in vain, as the Prophet once complained. Indeed the efficacy of their preaching dependeth wholly on the work and power of Christ. So that you see he is transcendently above them in the same business.

And then besides, Jesus Christ is sent on business which they are not to touch with. He is sent about the work of man's Redemption, of satisfaction to the justice of his Father, by his bitter death and passion, which is too heavy and too hard for any Man or Angel to go through with, or to have a hand in.

There is a great similitude between the Fathers sending, &c. in relation [ 4] to the end that both of them are sent for. Christ sends his Ministers into the world, for the very same end that God the Father sent him. For why did God the Father send his Son into the world? To save his people, as the expression is, Mat. 1.21. In which respect his Father would not have him called Apollyon, a destroyer, but Jesus a Savior. It's true, that Christ is set and appointed by his Father, for the fall and rising again of many: As for the rising of believers, so for the fall of unbelievers. But this is but by accident, and besides the main intention of God in sending, and Christ in coming. He doth not cause the fall of such as perish, so properly and so directly, as the rising of such are saved by him. Indeed he came into world to save sinners, 1 Tim, 1.15. not to destroy sinners. It's true, that sinners are destroyed by him, but this was not the proper end of his coming. God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but to save the world, Joh. 3.17. And so our Savior Christ himself professeth, Joh. 12.47. I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. Even so he sent his Ministers for the very same end, to work together with him in the Conversion and the Salvation of his people, by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe, 1 Cor. 1.21. To save themselves and those that hear them, 1 Tim. 4.16. Here the Similitude again is great, between the Fathers sending Christ, &c. in relation to the end that both of them are sent for.

But then the dissimilitude is great too, In that the Father sends the Son to save his people by his merit and his Spirit. The Son sends his Ministers to save them by the application of his merit and his Spirit to them in the preaching of the Gospel: The Father sends the Son to save them by dying for them; the Son sends his Ministers to save them by preaching to them, and so by crucifying Christ again before their eyes, as Gal. 3.1. The Father sends his Son to save his people meritoriously, and by way of effectual operation: The Son sends his Ministers to save them Ministerially, and by way of vocal Declaration; so that Christ only is the proper Savior, and Ministers at most are but the Instrumental Savior's of his people.

[Use. 1] Now is it so, my Brethren, That there is a great similitude between the Fathers sending, &c. Here then, my Brethren, is a perfect pattern for all the Minsters of Jesus Christ: they must look on him that sent them, and see what power he was endued withal, what errand he was sent on, and for what ends, and so act accordingly. As God invested him with power, and sent him into the world to preach the Gospel, and to save his people: So Jesus Christ hath invested them with power to do the same thing, for the same end; So that they must not aim at the destruction and the hardening of the people; No, they must make this their business, how they may bring about their conversion and salvation. It's true, they must be sons of Thunder now and then, as well as sons of Consolation; they must preach the Law sometimes, as well as the sweet comforts of the Gospel; they must threaten men sometimes with wrath, and hell, and eternal condemnation: But then they must not do it so as wishing that these things might come upon them, but rather that they might avoid them. They must threaten them with wrath, that they may flee from the wrath to come; and threaten with hell, that they may escape the damnation of hell; they must preach the Law with Gospel purposes and Evangelical intentions; they must send out the avenger of blood to dog them at the heels, that they may fly to the City of refuge: They must use sharpness now and then, it cannot be avoided; But it must be for the same end that the Apostle speaks of, 2 Cor. 13.10. where having minded the Corinthians, that in case he must use sharpness, according to the power the Lord had given him, he had authority from Christ to do it; but mark in the succeeding words to what end; for edification, and not for destruction; according to the power the Lord hath given me for edification, and not for destruction: And therefore it is very notable, that when our Savior Christ had said to his Disciples, All power is given to me both in heaven and in earth: and having put a part of that power and authority of his on his Apostles, having sent them as his Father sent him, he doth not say to them as God doth to the Prophet, Jer. 1.10. I have set you over the Nations, and over the Kingdoms, to root out and to destroy; but I have sent you to the Nations to teach them, and to baptize them, that they may be saved: He doth not make them rooters, but planters; he doth not bid them to go out, and preach damnation to the people in the first place; but go and preach the Gospel to them, that they may be saved.

And the Apostle speaking of the execution of this Commission, and authority in the Administration of the censures of the Church, saith, he would give a foul offender up to Satan, for no other end but this, even for his good, and his salvation, 1 Cor. 5.34. I have already judged, saith he, concerning him that hath so done this deed, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver him to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, the carnal part, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord: So that when we threaten judgment, when we retain the sins of men, when we give them up to Satan either in preaching or in Church-censure, our aim is, that their corruption may be mortified, and that their spirits may be saved by this means: And all the Ministers of Christ ought to have this continually in their eye, how they may reach this great end; they must remember that Jesus Christ hath sent them, as God the Father sent him, and that was not to condemn the world, but that the world by him might be saved.

And thus of the First Argument, with which our Savior presseth and enforceth his Petition to his Father, in behalf of his Apostles for Sanctification, which hath been taken from the business and employment that he is setting them about, viz, the very same in some respect, which he himself hath hitherto sustained and undergone by the appointment of the Father. Sanctify them with thy Truth, thy Word is Truth. Why, might the Father answer, why so? Cause enough saith Jesus Christ; for as thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world; and therefore thou hadst need to sanctify them, that so they may be fitted and enabled for such a service as this is.

DOCTRINE 1. Jesus Christ did willingly and freely set himself apart to be an Offring and a Sacrifice to God the Father.

He was not forced to become an Expiation for the sins of men. No he did it of himself; and of his own accord, I sanctify myself (saith our Savior in my text) by consecration.

So he is said to offer up himself, Heb. 7.27. To humble himself and to become obedient (conceive it passively obedient) to the death, even the death of the Cross, Phil. 2.8. It is true indeed the death and passion of our Savior was necessary if we look to God the Father, and his eternal Counsel and Decree; for he was slain in that respect, i. e. appointed to be slain from the beginning of the world. It was determined to be done, as the Apostle speaks, Acts 4.28. And therefore it behooved him to suffer, as himself speaks, Luke 24.46. and he must be lifted up upon the Cross; an unavoidable necessity was laid upon him, John 3.14. And as his death was necessary if we look to God the Father, so it was violent (my Brethren) if we look to men. With murderous and wicked hands they slew him, Acts 2.23. They killed and crucified the Lord of glory. But if we look to Christ himself, his death and passion was a voluntary thing, to which he willingly resigned and yielded up himself. His life was not extorted from him, but he laid it down himself, John 10.17. He was delivered up to death by God the Father, Acts 2.23. He was delivered up by Judas and the Jews too, Mat. 27.2. And yet he freely yielded up himself; he loved us and gave himself for us, Gal. 2.20. he gave himself for us an Offring and a sacrifice to God, Ephes. 5.2. He sanctified himself for our sakes, and set himself apart to this hard and sharp service, so that the Point is plain you see, That Jesus Christ did willingly and freely set himself apart to be a Offring and a Sacrifice to God the Father.

[Reason.] And it must needs be so, my brethren; for (being God) there was no greater power then his to master him and overcome him. A man is never forced to anything against his will, unless some outward violence prevail against him which he is no way able to resist. Now this was not the state and the condition of our Savior; his death was not inflicted on him by an excess of strength in those that gave him up to it. His Father was not able to constrain him, for he was God: and therefore equally Almighty with the Father. And men had infinitely less ability to overrule him, and to force him to it, and therefore it must needs be voluntary of himself, and this he clearly intimateth in that speech of his in the fore-alleged Scripture, John 10.17. No man takes my life from me; the meaning is, no man can take my life from me, and therefore it is added in the following words, I have power to lay it down, that is, to lay it down of choice and free election, so that I cannot be constrained to it, and I have power to take it up again. And certainly if he had power to take it up again when he had lost it, then he had much more power to keep it when he had it and enjoyed it. So that you see he was not, neither could he be enforced to die, but of his own accord he willingly and freely gave himself to it.

[Use 1] Is it so that Jesus Christ did willingly and freely set himself a part to be an Offering and Sacrifice to God, the Father? The greater and the more unsearchable was the exceeding riches of his love to us, and the greater cause have we to magnify it and admire it. Had he done it by constraint, and had be been enforced to it, there had been no such matter in it, so no such cause of Admiration and Thanksgiving. The praise had then been due to him that forced him, and not to him that was enforced. But this was love, as the Apostle John speaks, love in the height and with a witness, this was unparalleled and matchless love that Christ should willingly and freely lay down his life for us. Had his life been taken from him for our sakes, this had been no great love, but that himself should lay it down freely of his own accord, here was love, and here was mercy to be spoken of, and to be wondered at in all ages. What? that he should abase himself, that he should not be made obedient by another, but that he should himself become obedient to the death, yea to that shameful and accursed death, that he should willingly expose himself to such abasures, to such indignities, reproaches, scorns, and to such unsufferable tortures, to such a heavy and intolerable burden of his Fathers wrath, and all for those that were not undeserving only, but even ill deserving too, that were not friends but enemies; Oh, let us stand astonished at such a mercy. We need not wonder that he whose love and kindness was so full of wonder should be called wonderful, Isa. 9.6.

Is it so that Jesus Christ did willingly and freely set himself apart to be [Use 2] an Offring and Sacrifice to God the Father? Then let us learn of him (my brethren) as willingly (if it be possible) to offer up ourselves, our persons, our estates, our names, or lives and all to him, to suffer anything for him again. What my beloved, did he suffer willingly for us, and shall we suffer grudgingly and unwillingly for him? did he consecrate himself to be an offering and sacrifice for us, and shall not we on our parts consecrate ourselves to be an offering and sacrifice for him if he shall call us thereunto? did he give himself for us, and shall not we as readily give ourselves for him again? did he take up his Cross and go before, and shall not we take up our Crosses too and follow him? I do not say we should draw Crosses and afflictions on ourselves; but if they come upon us for our Savior's sake, we should not take them as enforced upon us, but we should freely set our shoulders to them and cheerfully submit ourselves to bear them. And thus far of the first conclusion mentioned. The second followeth.

DOCTRINE 2. Christ did not set himself apart to be an Offring and a Sacrifice to God the Father for his own sake but for his people's sakes: and that to this end, that they might be sanctified by this means: Not that they might be justified only, but that they might be sanctified also.

He did not do it for his own sake, for there was no sin in him, and so in that respect he need not to be made a Sacrifice for sin. There was no transgression in him, and why then should there be an expiation for him? But it was for his people's sake. To say the truth, all that he did, all that he suffered, was for their sakes. For their sakes he became man, for their sakes he became Mediator between God and man, for their sakes he became a King, a Prophet and a Priest. And as a Priest, so a sacrifice and offering to the Father, for he offered up himself. All was for their sakes.

And that to this end, that they might be sanctified, by this means. Not only that they might be justified, but that they might be sanctified also. That which was the scope and aim of God's election, Ephes. 1.4. He hath chosen us in him, that is in Christ to this end, that we might be holy and unblameable before him; of God's Vocation, 1 Thess. 4.7. he hath not called us to uncleanness but to holiness: The same (my brethren) was the end of Christ's redemption. He sanctified himself, that is, he set himself apart to be a Sacrifice to God the Father for his people's sakes, that they also might be sanctified, as you have it in the Text. He loved his Church, and out of the abundance of this love of his he gave himself for her, as the Apostle speaks, Ephes. 5.25. What, that he might redeem and justify her only? No my beloved, more then this; that he might sanctify and cleanse her too through the washing of Water by the word, and that he might present her to himself a glorious Church, not having any spot or wrinkle, but being holy and without blemish. He bare our sins in his own body on the Tree, that we being dead to sin might henceforth live to righteousness, as the Apostle Peter speaks, 1 Pet. 2.24. he died for us, that we which live, should henceforth live no longer to ourselves, to our lusts, and to our ends, but to him who died for us. He hath performed the mercies promised, he hath remembered his holy Covenant, he hath saved us from our enemies, and from the hands of those hate us, Luke 1.74. What, that from henceforth we might be our own Masters, and live at liberty and walk according to our own humors? O no, but on the contrary, that we might serve him who hath saved us, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives: By one offering of himself, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified, saith the Apostle, Heb. 10.14. Not them that are justified, but them that are sanctified. And hence the blood of Jesus which he shed when he was a made a sacrifice to God the Father, hath not a pacifying only but a purging quality in it. It hath not only a value to satisfy, but a virtue to sanctify. The blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin, 1 John 1.7. Compleatly from the guilt of all in justification, and inchoatively from the filth of all in sanctification. I might be copious in the proof, but this may satisfy to clear the point. Christ did not set himself apart to be an offering and a sacrifice to God the Father for his own sake, but for his people's sakes, and that to this end, that they might be sanctified by this means.

[Reason 1] And the grounds are evident: I shall but touch upon them only, and hasten to Application. For, first his scope and purpose in this work of his, was not only to preserve his people from destruction, but to bring them to salvation; not only to deliver them from hell, but to obtain their entrance into heaven. And truly had he not accomplished both of these, he had not been a perfect Savior, he had not saved us to the utmost, as the Apostle Paul speaks. Now my beloved, had he justified us only from the guilt of our transgressions, he had done but one of these; for guilt is nothing but the obligation or binding over of the sinner to damnation; so that in quitting us of this, he had but saved us from the wrath to come (as the Apostle speaks) he had not brought us to the happiness to come. And therefore since he had a further aim, that he might bring his whole intent about, he hath not justified us only, and so delivered us from death and condemnation, but he hath sanctified us also, and so prepared us for life and salvation; For without holiness it is impossible to see the Lord; To be admitted as inhabitants into that holy habitation concerning which the holy Ghost hath said, There shall no unclean thing enter into it. Rev 21.27. And therefore our Redeemer sanctified himself to be a Sacrifice for us, not that we might be justified only, and so delivered from Hell and utter darkness, but that we might be sanctified also, and so made meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the Saints in light.

Our Savior sanctified himself to be a Sacrifice for us, not only that [Reason 2] we might be justified, but that we might be sanctified also, because he had a purpose and design, not to glorify us only, but to glorify himself in this business. And more particularly and distinctly, to glorify himself in us, and to glorify himself by us.

1. It was the project and design of Christ in this great work of his, to glorify himself in us, and therefore it was necessary that he should not justify us only, but sanctify us too: For had he justified us only from the guilt of our transgressions, his glory had appeared indeed upon us, to wit, the glory of his mercy; but which way had his glory shown itself in us? But now by sanctifying us, and by enriching us with all the saving graces of his holy Spirit (which far exeeed the brightest and Orient Pearls both in luster and in value) his glory shineth forth in us. Now he us glorified in his Saints, as the Apostle Paul speaks. The glory of his grace appeareth in them, and sparkles forth with dazzling luster. And as in the Creation of the world is seen his wisdom and his power and God-head, and the like: So in the renovation and the new creation of some certain persons in it, is seen the riches of his grace. He doth it that he might make known his glory, as the Apostle tells us, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that he may declare it in the vessels of his mercy prepared by him unto glory, Rom. 9.23. And as the greatness and magnificence of any Prince is seen in the Revenues and the Titles and the Dignities of those whom he hath raised and advanced: So in our present gracious privileges and endowments, preparing us for glory in the world to come, are seen the unsearchable riches of Christ.

2. It was the project and design of Christ in this great work of his to glorify himself by us: And therefore it was necessary that he should not justify us only but sanctify us too: For had we not been sanctified, we should have dishonored Christ in our whole Conversation. But being once regenerated and endowed with saving grace, and purified as a peculiar people to himself, then we glorify our Savior; Then we show forth the virtues, and with them the praises of him that hath saved us. We cause our works to shine before men, and Jesus Christ (who strengtheneth us) to shine in them.

Now is it so, my Brethren, that Christ did not set himself apart, &c. [Use 1] for his own sake, but for his people's sakes, that so they might be sanctified by this means? My Exhortation shall be somewhat suitable to that of the Apostle on the like occasion, Gal. 5.13. Take heed you use not this incomparable grace and mercy of the Lord Christ, as an occasion to the flesh, by taking any kind of license thence to give it satisfaction in the lusts thereof. It is a dangerous & desperate course of many men who apprehending, that they are delivered by the death of Christ from all their sins, and that the Justice of the Lord is satified and appeased for them, are by this means emboldened and encouraged on in their evil ways. And when they are reproved for their licentious courses, they satisfy themselves with this, that Christ hath satisfied for them; and that not only for their past and present sins, but for their sins to come also; so that they need not be afraid to act them, nor to be humbled for them, after they have done them. But I must tell them, Christ hath not satisfied for them, if he do not sanctify them. He hath not set himself apart to to be a sacrifice for them, if he do not set them apart to be a holy and peculiar people to himself. And unto such as turn this grace into licentiousness, I say as Moses did sometime to Israel, Do ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise! Oh Hellish people and profane! yea I protest against them, in the words of the Apostle, Gal. 5.2. that Jesus Christ shall profit them nothing.

[Use 2] Is it so, That Christ, &c. Oh, how should this provoke and stir us up to strive and labor after holiness, and to endeavor every way to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit? What motive more prevailing can be tendered to our thoughts then this is? Ah my Beloved, were there nothing in the world but this alone, to quicken us and egg us on to purity and a holy conversation; no peace of conscience waiting on it, no inward joy and comfort of the Holy Ghost, no fruit of sanctity, no reward of it, neither in the present life, nor in that which is to come (whereas it hath the promises of both) I say my Brethren, were there nothing else to move us, this of itself were sufficient to persuade, viz. That Christ in all those torments, those abasures, those agonies and horrors which he suffered, when he sanctified himself and set himself apart to be a sacrifice to God the Father, aimed at this, that he might sanctify us to himself: that we for whom he suffered might be holy. And shall we now like base unthankful and unworthy wretches, endeavor to the utmost of our power, to thwart and cross him in his purpose, to frustrate and make void his end? Hath he laid down his life to this end, that we might be pure, and shall we notwithstanding be profane? Hath he shed his precious blood to this end that we might be holy, and shall we notwithstanding be unclean? Is this the reckoning that we make of all those exquisite and those unutterable pangs and tortures which our Savior suffered, when not his body only, but his soul was made an offering for sin, that we regard not, though he suffer them in vain? I say to you my Brethren, as the Church, Lament. 1.12. Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by? Shall all those wounds, those stripes, those horrors he endured, those streams of precious blood be shed in vain?

Oh think upon it you that rot away in your corruptions, and that by weltering in the goar of your abominable sins: and though you have been frequently advised & entreated & besought to wash you, and to make you clean, yet are resolved to be filthy still: For you make the Son of God (as much as in you lies) to suffer & to die in vain: you spill this precious blood and tread it underfoot: And be assured of this, your sin is infinitely great, and your damnation will be heavy in the world to come. And therefore as King David once when his three Worthies had adventured to fetch him water from the Well of Bethel, with the apparent and extremist hazard of their lives, refused utterly to drink it, or to taste of it: Be it far from me saith he, for is not this the blood of these men? 2 Sam. 23.17. Even so say you when you are tempted and enticed by Satan or your lusts to any fin, to be drunken, or unclean, or to defraud, or over-reach your brother, or the like; Oh be it far from me to do this thing: for is not this the blood of Jesus Christ? He shed his blood to purify me, and to make me clean from such sins as these are.

Is it so, that Christ, &c. Oh, how should this astonish all profane [Use. 3] and graceless persons? Me thinks, the thought of this should even break their hearts amidst their greatest earthly pleasures and contentments: For what do they imagine, that Christ will fail of his intention, or that he will attain but half his purpose? That since he sanctified himself to be a sacrifice to God the Father for his people, that they might be sanctified, he will ever justify and save them whom he never sanctifieth? That he will fall short of that which was his scope and aim in this business. Oh foolish fancy and absurd imagination! Nay Jesus Christ himself hath said, yea he hath sworn the contrary; and if you will not take his word, I hope you will believe his Oath: This the is oath that he hath sworn, that all they that are saved by him from the guilt and from the punishment of all their sins, shall serve him too in holiness: So that if any filthy and unsanctified person should be saved, Jesus Christ must be forsworn, which were blasphemous to imagine.

And thus we have at length dispatched the first part of our Savior's prayer for the Church; and are arrived at the Second. In the first place he prays, as I have shown you, for his Apostles and Disciples then about him, the members of the Church that then was, who were already called and sanctified, whom God had given him out of the world: I pray for them, saith he, I pray not for the world; and this part of the prayer he shuts up with the verse which we have even now ended.

And now my Brethren, in the second place, he comes to pray for those who were after to be called by their preaching, or their writing, who were to be the members of the Church that was to come; Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that shall believe on me through their word. And here we have in general these two main things to be considered:

1. Christ's description of the persons for whom he now becomes a Suitor to his Father, them which shall believe on me through their word.

2. The matter of the prayer which he makes for these persons, That they may all be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, and so on.

At this time we shall enter on the first of these, and that is Christ's description of the persons for whom he now becomes a suitor to his Father: and they in general are true believers, who are described three ways. First, by the time of their faith; they are not such as did believe when Christ put up his Supplication to his Father, but such as should believe in after-times. Secondly, by the object of their Faith, they should believe in Jesus Christ. Thirdly, by the instrumental means of this faith; they should believe in Christ through the Apostles word.

I shall speak a word or two of the circumstance of time by which our Savior here describeth those for whom he prays; they are not such as did believe, when Christ put up this supplication to his Father; but such as should believe in after-times; Neither pray I for these only, for my Apostles and Disciples who believe in me already, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word. So that you see,

DOCTRINE. Our Savior's Intercession is not confined to those who believe, but it extends to those who shall believe, though for the present they have no faith at all in them.

It reaches to believers by Election, to all that are appointed to believe to the end of the world; I pray, saith Christ, for them also (for all them) which shall believe on me, through their word. And as God loves believers by Election, though for the present they be unbelievers, (as I have shown you very lately) so Christ prays for all such. Indeed he died for all such, for all such as shall believe (and not for such alone as do believe) and therefore he must needs pray for all such: For both the branches of his Priesthood must of necessity be co-extended: and so for whomsoever he is a Priest to sacrifice, for them also he is a Priest to intercede: as he hath offered up himself for them, so he hath offered up his prayers for them, and will do to the worlds end.

[Use.] And this (to give you but a touch of Application) may serve to hearten us exceedingly, when we are are putting up our prayers for them who are as yet without the pale, who have as yet no faith or grace at all in them; It may be they are near to us, Parents, Children, Husbands, Wives, and we are often carried out in prayer for them, that God would yet show mercy to them, that he would yet prevail upon them, and cause them to come in to Jesus Christ; That he would break their stubborn lusts, and work unfeigned faith in them; And while we are breathing out our souls to God in such a way as this is, we are surpized with distrustful thoughts, that we shall never speed in this request of ours, God will never be entreated: and so upon a sudden our affections cool, our hearts grow dead and flat within us; In such a case as this is, it may be some encouragement and comfort to consider that Jesus Christ (for ought we know) hath prayed, and may be praying to the Father for the very same person, though for the present he believe not, yet he may be such an one as shall believe, as is appointed to believe in after-times: And then he is (as you have heard) within the compass of our Savior's Intercession: so that the prayers that we make for him are seconded by Christ in heaven. While we are asking such a child, or such a friend, of God, it may be Christ is asking him or her of God too, according to the Covenant of the Father with the Son, Ask of me and I will give thee. And therefore let us not grow cold or faint in such a suit as this is, but let us follow and pursue it to the utmost: Let us not cease to pray for such a person, let us not cast him out of our prayers, whom Jesus Christ hath not cast out of his; I pray, saith he, for such as shall believe; and this for ought we know, may be one of that number.

And thus far of the first particular, by which our Savior Christ describeth those for whom he prays, viz. the time of their believing. They are not such as did believe when Christ put up this supplication for them to the Father, but such as should believe in after-times.

Proceed we to the second thing by which he sets them forth, and that is, by the Spirit of this faith of theirs, they should believe in Jesus Christ; Neither pray I for these alone, saith Christ here, but for them also which shall believe on me: He doth not say, for them which shall believe on God, or for them which shall believe the Word of God, but for them which shall believe on me; so that the point to be observed is this.

DOCTRINE. That true Believers do pitch their Faith on Jesus Christ, and make him the object of it. Christ is the object of a true believing faith.

So he is represented in my Text you see; The faithful do believe on him. It's true indeed, that faith in general (which even Reprobates and Devils have) looks with an equal eye on all the Book of God, assenteth to the truth of all in gross: But justifying faith, with is the faith whereof we speak, picks out this special object Jesus Christ which is embraced and received. By him, saith the Apostle Paul (that is, by Christ, and none but him) all that believe are justified from all those things from which they could not have been justified by the Law of Moses, Act. 13.39. The Law will never justify us, but condemn us: No, we are justified by faith in Christ and him alone who is revealed and manifested to us in the Gospel: The Rightousness of God, that is the righteousness which makes us righteous; the righteousness of man will never do it; No, it must be the righteousness of God himself, This is ours by faith in Christ, as the Apostle shows, Rom. 3.22. He that believeth in the Son hath life, Joh. 3. ult. Observe it well, he saith not in the Father, nor the Holy Ghost, though certainly we must believe in both these; But Christ is the immediate object of the faith which justifieth, or of it as it justifieth. He that believeth in the Son hath life, the life of holiness, and the life of righteousness, for both of them are very clearly meant in that place.

Object. But you will say perhaps, Is not the Word of God, and is not God himself, and is not everlasting life the object of our faith? how then is Christ as I have said, and Christ alone the next and the immediate object of it?

Sol. To this, because it is compounded as it were of divers things, I must answer divers ways.

1. For the Word of God, that is not properly the object of the faith that justifieth, but is so called by a figure, because it holds forth and exhibits Christ who is indeed the proper object of this justifying faith. Or secondly the Word of God, although it may in some respects be called the object of faith that justifieth, yet not qua justificat, not as it justifieth, as the School speaks. It's true, that justifying faith believeth other things propounded in the Word of God. But faith as it justifieth, lays hold on Christ and him only, not knowing any other thing here but Jesus Christ and him crucified.

2. As for the second thing propounded in the Query, True it is that God the Father is the Object of our faith (I mean the faith which justifieth;) but not the next and the immediate Object of it. Christ must be first laid hold upon, and God in Christ. Such trust have we through Christ in God, saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 3.4. Even Turks and Jews and Arians boast of faith in God you know, amd yet because they apprehend not Jesus Christ, they miserably lose their own souls. He that denieth (and so by consequence,) believes not in the Son, can never have the Father, as you may see, 1 John 2.23. He is like a man goes about to grasp a thing that is too big for him, a large and smooth round-bodyed Cup, it slips away out of his fingers, whereas he might have held it by the handle. The faith which justifies us, my beloved, apprehendeth Christ, receiveth and layeth hold on him, and then as it is added in the fore-alleged Scripture, He that hath the Son, hath the Father also.

3. As for the third particular propounded whether salvation and eternal life be the object of our faith. To say the truth, salvation and eternal life is not so properly believed as hoped for. Nor can it be so fitly called the object, as the consequent and end of faith. So the Apostle calls it, 1 Pet. 1.9. Receiving the end, saith he, (Conceive it the perfection, or the reward of your faith) even the salvation of your souls. Salvation then you see my brethren, is the end, Christ is the object of our faith.

[Use 1] Is Christ the Object of a true believers faith? Then do not satisfy yourselves my brethren, with a general assent to sacred Revelation, neither do you rest in this that you believe the word of God in gross. Alas, how many men that have been thoroughly convinced of the truth of all the Scripture, are notwithstanding under everlasting Chains and darkness! the Devils themselves believe and tremble. They believe the word (historically you must understand it) and because it makes against them the greater their faith is, the greater is their fear. As therefore you desire to be absolved and acquitted from the guilt of all your sins which else will sink you down into the pit of Hell forever, to be invested with the righteousness of Christ, without which you can never have admittance to the marriage of the Lamb, nor to those joys and pleasures at the Lord's right hand for evermore, lay hold on Jesus Christ, and clasp the arms of faith about him: Men and brethren, to you is this salvation sent, and we declare unto you glad tidings, preaching through Christ the forgiveness of sins: and that by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not have been justified by the Law of Moses. We offer and exhibit Christ unto you, and we beseech you to accept him, that you may be saved. We stand and cry, Ho everyone that thirsteth, came to this water. Now as you tender the salvation of your precious souls, let faith make out to Jesus Christ that comes towards her; let her fasten on her object. And that you may the better know what I persuade you to, I shall show you very briefly, that there are four acts of the soul in reference to Jesus Christ, wherein the essence and the being of justifying faith consists: Whereof the former two, are of the understanding, and the two latter of the will. I shall but only touch at them.

1. Well then, the first thing you are to do, you must endeavor to know Christ aright: distinct explicit knowledge of him in a measure, is necessary to the being of this justifying faith. And therefore knowledge is sometimes put for faith in Scripture; by his knowledge or the knowledge of himself, shall my righteous servant justify many, saith the Father of the Son, Isa. 53.11. And here to be a little more distinct, you must know that Christ is a complete and all-sufficient Savior to free you from the wrath of God, and to bring you to eternal life; That he is offered by the Lord to you, as well as any other: for so the messengers of God have their Commission to make an universal tender of him to all to whom they preach without exception; Go preach the Gospel to every creature, Mark 16.15. And what is it to preach the Gospel to them, but to say as the Angel to the Shepherds, Luke 2.10, 11. I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people: for unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord? And as Peter to the Jews, Acts 2.39. The promise is to you and to your children, yea and to all that are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call. Yea you must know that Christ is offered to you, so that you are peremptorily commanded and required to believe in him. Come to me, saith our Savior, Mat. 11.28. i. e. Believe in me, (for so himself expounds the phrase as you may see, John 6.35.) all you that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. This is the first thing requisite to justifying faith, of which Christ is the proper Object.

2. The second act is the Assent and Credit of the mind to this, that Christ is such a one indeed, and that God offers him indeed in such a way as hath been said. And that in this his gracious offer he intendeth as he saith: That Christ and all his merits will be yours if you accept him. This you must consent to; you must say with the Apostle, 1 Tim. 1.15. This is a faithful saying; and in relation to this act it is that faith is called believing, John 3.36. and elsewhere often in the Scripture.

3. The third act is the yielding of the Will to this external exhibition of the Son of God, this blessed offer of him in the Gospel, not only for the certain truth, but the incomparable excellency of it; when the heart accepteth of it, and embraceth it, and saith with the Apostle in the fore-alleged Scripture, 1 Tim. 1.15. This saying as it is a faithful one, so it is worthy of all acceptation. It is a faithful saying, saith the Understanding, and therefore I will give assent to it: It is a saying worthy of all acceptation, saith the will, and therefore I will close with it. So the faith of the Fathers is described, Heb. 11.13. in which all the three acts which we have mentioned are wrapped up together. They saw the promises; conceive it with the understandings eye, they knew them and they understood them. They were persuaded of them, they gave assent to them, and they received them and embraced them: for both these terms are there used, not the words and surface of them, but Christ in them. In which respect this act of faith is sometimes called receiving of Christ, as see John 1.12. To as many as received him, &c. So that believing and receiving are all one; this is the third act.

4. The fourth and last act, is a resting, a relying, and recumbency on Christ for mercy and salvation: this is the great act of the soul in faith: A rolling of itself on Jesus Christ, expecting life and happiness no other way, and by no other mean but him only: And this is that which is so often called believing in the Son of God, believing in his name, trusting in him, as the Apostle Paul's expression is, Ephes. 1.12. or trusting to him for all the good that we expect or look for. These are the four great acts of faith, and Christ you see is the immediate and proper object of them all: So that you easily perceive what I intend when I persuade you and exhort you to fasten on this object and to believe in Jesus Christ.

Object. But you will say perhaps (as that is now a great Objection) the Creature is not able to believe: it is an impotent and dead thing: what can the Creature do? And why do you persuade it to believe?

Sol. True my beloved, it can do nothing, and you would have it to do nothing by this Rule. Keep away the means from it, and when will it attain the end? It hath no faith: it is not able to believe: but faith comes by this means, by the persuasions and entreaties of the Gospel: Faith comes by hearing, Rom. 10.17. When the Apostles persuaded sinners to believe, (as that was very usual with them) might not a man have said to them, What do you speak to them? They cannot do what you persuade them to; and yet you know what multitudes sometimes were brought to believe by one Sermon. So that the word is not in vain, though men be dead and unable to believe, because when God is pleased to work with it, it quickens them, and begetteth faith in them.

[Use 2] Is Christ the Object of a true believers faith? Are we justified by faith as it lays hold on Christ, and on the Righteousness of Christ? This then discovers the defect and imperfection of inherent righteousness. This laying hold upon the Lord Jesus, this going forth out of ourselves to fetch Righteousness abroad to justify us in the sight of God, implies an emptiness and want of it at home. It is true indeed, had we continued in our first integrity, had we remained in that uprighteness and perfection which was at first bestowed upon us, there had been then no need at all of justifying faith. But when our own inherent righteousness was lost in Adams fall, so that there was an utter failing of it, an absolute deficiency in ourselves, Faith was provided to supply us and to furnish us again, by fetching in the righteousness of Christ, so that this laying hold upon imputed, apparently implies the absence of inherent righteousness; And therefore when we shall be raised again to that perfection which we once enjoyed in Adam in the state of Innocency, which shall be done you know my brethren, in the other Paradise, in heaven, in the state of glory, this justifying faith shall cease, at least with reference to the receiving of Jesus the Lord our Righteousness, because we shall have righteousness enough in heaven of our own. And this is that which the Apostle meaneth in that memorable place, 1 Cor. 13. ult. And now abideth faith, hope and charity. Now they abide; conceive it in the present life; they all continue; for that is his intention there, but the chiefest of these is charity, the chiefest in regard of permanency and duration, because that never faileth as he affirmeth in the eighth verse of that Chapter, No not in heaven in the state of blessedness where justifying faith and hope shall fail, and be taken both away.

Is Christ the Object of a true believers faith? This then as it discovers [Use. 3] the defect and imperfection of inherent righteousness, so the perfection of imputed righteousness: as the defect of sanctification, so the perfection of justification. It is the righteousness of Christ which we fetch in by faith, and that you know is absolute and accomplisht righteousness. And this administers incomparable sweet and precious comfort to the Saints, who are so far dejected with the sense and feeling of their wants as to conclude they are not justified in the sight of God, they are so full of imperfections and defects: Oh they come so far short, their graces are so small and weak, and their obedience is so slender, that they resolve the Lord will not accept and justify such wretched creatures as they are. Indeed my brethren, if our being justified and accepted with the Lord, depended on the highth and the perfection of inherent righteousness, we had cause to be discouraged: But seeing we are justified by faith in Christ by laying hold on the Lord our righteousness, by fetching in the righteousness of Christ, and not by perfecting our own: if we have taken him, we are complete in him (as the Apostle speaks) amidst our many unallowed imperfections and defects; And though we should be humbled for our failings, with refererence to sanctification, yet we should not doubt ourselves and our estates, with reference to justification: for having once received Christ by faith we are complete in him, though imperfect in ourselves. If all the Righteousness which is in Christ will make us righteous, we are righteous; for he is made to us righteousness, 1 Cor. 1.30. Oh, how should this support their drooping spirits, who pine away in endless sorrow for their failings and defects! If they be sure they have laid hold on Christ by faith, they may conclude his righteousness is theirs, and that is perfect though their own be weak and wanting; And though they be discouraged in themselves, they may encourage and cheer up themselves in Christ's; And certainly in doing so they honor Christ, and advance his fullness.

DOCTRINE. It is the Gospel word that makes believers; the Gospel is the instrumental means of faith.

If faith be wrought in any soul, it is by the Apostles word, the word of the New Testament, not of the Old; Of the New Covenant, not of the Old; In brief, not of the Law, but of the Gospel: And this is that which the Apostle shows expressly, Rom. 10.15, 16, 17. How beautiful are the feet of them, saith he, that preach the Gospel! But they have not believed the Gospel. For Isaiah said, Who hath believed our Report? So then faith comes by hearing, viz. by hearing of the Gospel. And hence the Gospel is said to be the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believeth, Rom. 1.16.

But what then, hath the Law no hand at all in the working faith?

No hand in working it, but only in preparing to the work. Indeed it shows a man his sin and his transgression; it empties him of all opin on of himself; it humbles him, and lays him low, and so it makes him fit to close with Jesus Christ by faith, as the Apostle shows, Gal. 3.24. The Law was our Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. John Baptists rough rigid Ministry must prepare the way for Christ. He must be like a Pioner to go before, to bring down every high exalted thought, to make the Mountains level with the Valleys. The Law must bite and sting men with the curses and the terrors of it, and so work inclinations in them to look up to Jesus Christ who is the brazen Serpents Antitype erected in the Gospel.

And this is all the Law can do, it can but fit a man for Jesus Christ, and prepare a man for faith, which is indeed and properly effected in him by the Gospel. This is the royal and triumphant Chariot in which the Son of God comes riding gloriously into the soul, and so dwelleth there by faith, as the Apostle Paul speaks, Eph. 3.17. And hence the Gospel hath the name of faith in Scripture, as you may see that place for instance, Gal. 1.23. because it worketh faith in the hearts of God's people.

Is it the Gospel word that makes believers? Then surely they are in [Use 1] an infinitely sad Condition who want the Gospel, who want it willfully, as the Jews do, and have done many hundred years. They have it, but they put it from them, as the Apostle speaks. They receive the Prophets words, but they receive not the Apostles words. And how then should they believe through their word? And there are others in the world who want it necessarily or of necessity, and through the just severity and righteous judgment of the Lord upon them. Many persons, many Nations are in this lamentable case to this day. They have no Gospel, and so no means at all to work faith in them, without which there is no salvation; No, they are shut up under unbelief, as the Apostle speaks, Rom. 11.32. God hath concluded them in that condition. There they are, and there is no coming out, the door of wrath is shut upon them, whose miserable case in bowels of compassion we have cause to pity, though they pity not themselves.

Is it the Gospel word that makes believers? then certainly it is no [Use 2] other word that is the means or ground of faith. We have a company of men in our times that believe strange things, that bottom faith upon a strange foundation, Revelations and discoveries of a spirit that hath no commerce at all, no agreement with the Gospel: let the Apostles word be what it will, if they have another word from that which they conceive to be the spirit of God, they believe that, and not this; whereas the spirit that brings men any other Gospel then that which the Apostles taught, though he come from heaven itself, ought not to be believed, but accursed. And yet alas how confident have many been in their assent to such discoveries as have been clear against the Gospel, and against the Apostles words? Ah, my beloved, this is not revelation, but delusion; this is not faith, but unbelief. Our Savior speaking in my Text of all that should believe from that time in which he prayed to the end of the world, describes them to be such as should believe through the Apostles word. Not through any other word but that of the Apostles only, that which they preached, and that which they writ, which they have left recorded in the Scripture. If any man believe through any other word, or any other revelation that accordeth not with this, he is none of Christ's believers, none of them which he owns, none of them for which he prays; I pray for them that shall believe on me through their word; For them and none but them. He that believes through any other word, you see, is out of Christ's prayer.

[Use 3] Is it the Apostles word, the Gospels word that makes believers? you then that are as yet without faith, be hence prevailed withal to hear it, and to attend upon it. This is that which the creature can do (I mean by general influence of common Providence without any supernatural grace) and therefore this do you do. It is the word of faith, as I have shown you formerly; and when the Lord is pleased to concur with it, it worketh faith in those that hear it. Its true, you are not able to convert yourselves, or to believe in Jesus Christ; but the Apostles word, the Gospel is a fit instrument for this purpose: Faith comes by hearing, and therefore hear that you may believe. You that are strangers to the life of faith, be you entreated and prevailed withal to put yourselves under the powerful preaching of the Gospel, as the Apostle speaks, be swift to hear, lay hold on every opportunity to be partakers of this holy Ordinance, and then perhaps it may in time become a word of faith to you: Wait diligently on the doors of Wisdoms house, listen attentively to them that teach you Apostolical doctrine, and who knows but you may yet believe through their word?

And thus of Christ's description of the persons for whom he here becomes a Suitor to his Father: Them which shall believe on me through their word.

Proceed we to the matter of the prayer which he makes for these persons; And there are two main things that he desires in their hehalf. First that they may be one; next that they may be in one place together.

The first of these he proposes in the verse that I have read, and prosecutes in the succeeding verses. 1. He proposes it in the verse that I have read, that they may all be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. 2. And then he prosecutes this Suit of his with divers arguments and reasons to ver. 24. as (God permitting) we shall see hereafter.

In the proposal of this Suit of his, you may observe that it is both expessed and amplified. First it is nakedly expressed in plain terms, that they may all be one. Secondly, then it is amplified by a Similitude in which our Savior shows how he would have them to be one, as thou father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. A strange expression if you look upon it with a superficial view: That the Disciples of our Savior may be one in some respects, is very easy to imagine. But how they should be one as God the Father and the Son are one: how they should be in God and Christ, as they are in one another, is very hard to be conceived: Yet this is the expression of our Savior to his Father in my Text, That they may all be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.

For clearing this, beloved, you must know, that [as] in Scripture many times is a note of similitude, not of equality; It intimates the truth and the reality of that wherein likeness stands, and not the measure and degree. I might give many instances wherein that Particle is so taken. See Luke 6.36. Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful. It is impossible for any man to be as merciful as God is, if you look to the degree; For as the heavens are higher then the earth, so are his thoughts above ours in this particular. But yet we may be merciful as he is, though not as merciful as he is. So in the Text our Savior prays for his Disciples, That they may all be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. The meaning is not that they may be one as nearly (that is impossible) but, as truly as we are: That as we are in one another, so they may (in some respect) be all in us. How and in what respect they may be so, I shall show at large anon, in the mean time the point is this.

DOCTRINE. It is the will of Jesus Christ that his Disciples should not only be one among themselves, but that they also should be one in God.

Indeed it is the will of Jesus Christ that his Disciples should be one [Use 4] among themselves: That they should be all one, as you have it in my Text: Indeed he shed his blood for this purpose, Eph. 2.14. that though they be of divers Nations (as for instance, Jews and Gentiles) yet they may be both one, as in the fore-alleged Scripture. He is our peace, saith the Apostle there, who hath made both one, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, to make in himself of twain (of Jews and Gentiles) one man. Though they be of divers places, some in heaven and some on earth; and though they that are on earth, are many of them many thousand miles asunder, yet he would have them to be all one. It is his project and design to gather all things into one, which are in heaven and which are in earth, as Ephes. 1.10. But you will ask me, How can this be done, that they that are so distant should be one?

I answer, Very easily, because the bonds of this conjunction are not carnal but spiritual: So that they may be one, without a corporeal or local union. From him the head (saith the Apostle) all the body by joints and bands is knit together, Col. 2.19. Part of the body is in heaven, and part of it is on earth, and here some persons are in one, some in another quarter of the earth: yet all the body so divided and so distant as you see, by joints and bands is knit together. And you will easily conceive it, when you consider what these bands are.

1. They have all one spirit, and so in that respect are one. I speak not of the spirit or soul of a man, but of the spirit of the Lord Christ, which being one, dwells in all the Saints at once, and so makes them one too; yea let them be as distant as they will. And as the formal reason of the union of the members of the body natural, consisteth not so much in contiguity as animation by the same soul; so that if any part be mortified, and if the soul give over to enliven it, it is no more to be esteemed a member, notwithstanding its external and corporeal inherence to the body: So though the Saints be far from one another in regard of place, yet they are closely knit together by the same spirit, being joined to the Lord, they are all one spirit, and so indeed are all one.

2. They have all one faith, (one at least in fundamentals) and one faith makes one, as Ephes. 4.4, 5. They that are of many faiths in fundamentals, cannot come so close together to be all one; and therefore Jesus Christ when he ascended up on high, gave gifts unto men for the work of the Ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come, all, both Jews and Gentiles come, in the unity of the faith, &c. So that there is a unity in the faith you see; and to say truth, my Brethren, faith will make a union at a distance, as well as if the persons joined were all together: What doth th the corporal or local presence of the parties contribute to the union that is made by faith, which is a spiritual and invisible thing, and consequently joineth in a spiritual and invisible manner, which no division or distance in regard of place can hinder?

3. They have all one heart, and one affection, and so in that respect are one. The multitude of believers were of one heart, Act. 4.32. Though they were multitudes, yet they had but one heart; and when there is but one heart, there is a great Oness. The understanding is the principle of speculation, the heart the seat of love and of affection. And the Saints are so united and linked togther in affection, as if they had among them but one common principle of this affection, as if they had but one heart; and therefore the Apostle speaking of the faithful, saith, that they were knit together in love, Col. 2.2. The term there used importeth such a knitting as is between the divers parts and pieces of a building. For so the Saints, though there be Millions of them in the world, yet they are built up altogether to a spiritual house, 1 Pet. 2.5. And love is as it were the mortar and the pins, the ligaments and tyes of the connection; and elsewhere it is called a bond, Col. 3.10. Above all these things put on charity which is the bond of perfectness, with which we are perfectly joined together, 1 Cor. 1.10. Now love will make a union at a distance (as well as near at hand.) The nearness of the place (simply considered in itself) contributes nothing to the nearness and to the strength of the affection: No, love will reach a person at the other end of all the earth as well as if he were just by us, in the very next room, or in the very next dwelling.

You see both that, and how, it is the will of Jesus Christ, that his Disciples should be one among themselves, which is the first thing in the point.

[ 2] But now there is a Second branch, he would not have them only to be one among themselves, but he would have them also to be one in God. This is the special thing for which he is a Suitor to his Father in my Text, That they may be all one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: Not one among themselves alone, but one in us; which is indeed a very high thing.

Now that you may the better know what Christ intends in this particular, you must consider that he speaks to God the Father, as man and Mediator in this place: For he speaks in prayer here; and consequently when he saith, As thou Father art in me, and I in thee; he speaks not of the union which is between his Father and himself as he is God: For in that consideration the Father and the Son are so in one another, that they are the very same; The same Essence (for so the union is Identical) though they be not the same Person: And in this sense it is impossible for Christ's Disciples to be so one in God and Christ, as God and Christ, the Father and the Son, are the one of them in the other.

Well then our Savior speaks here of the oneness which is between his Father and himself, as he is the Mediator, and as he is the Head of his Church: For so they are both one, as Jesus Christ himself speaks, Joh. 10.30. And in another place he uses the very same expression in my Text, and tells us that he is in the Father, and the Father in him, Joh. 14.10.

Now the Father is in Christ as he is Mediator of the Church, and Christ is in the Father in the same respect, that is, they are both one, especially three ways.

1. By Hypostatical union of the Manhood to the Godhead in the Person of our Savior; for the Manhood being joined to the Godhead in the Person of the Son, it must be mediately joined also to the Father, to whom the Son as God is joined in the nearest tie that can be. We have no higher phrase you know my Brethren, to express the closest union, then to affirm of two that they are one, they two are are one, and we cannot say more. There is a union between faithful friends, for there is one heart in two bodies, as the Philosopher expresses it: There is a nearer union between man and wife, for they two are